Letters Of Affection
by AmuletFortune98
Summary: Amu begins to receive love letters in her school locker every day from a certain secret admirer. Meanwhile, Ikuto is the one behind the letters, but he doesn't actually mean them! He and his friend, Kukai, find fun in playing with girls' feelings by giving them letters confessing their fake love for them. Will Ikuto actually fall for Amu, or will he end up hurting her? AMUTO
1. Secret Admirer

**I do not own Shugo Chara or any of the characters.**

**Amu's P.O.V.**

"Rima-chan, I honestly don't believe that." I said, chuckling softly at her ridiculous idea.

"B-But..." Rima frowned, then curled up in her famous little ball, her golden locks hanging over her face, "Nagi's been ignoring me... It's obvious he's annoyed by me, and right before my birthday!"

I shook my head, sighing. It was surprising how insecure Rima was acting. Usually, she was quite confident and a large tsundere when it came to her boyfriend, Nagi, but now she was acting 100% -dere. "He's probably just busy." I said, bending over to grab the small girl's hand. She hesitantly stood back up, then continued to walk by me while holding the fabric of my shirt.

We stopped in front of the lockers and I slipped my school shoes off. I opened my locker and reached for my other shoes, surprised to find my hand come in contact with something else. I grabbed the unidentified object and pulled it out, finding it was a folded piece of paper. Rima snapped out of her mood and looked over my shoulder, curious as to what I was looking at. Once she caught sight of the paper, she grinned and raised her eyebrows at me. "A love letter, perhaps?"

I laughed at her. What a ridiculous idea! "Of course not." I grabbed my shoes and slipped them on, then placed my school shoes inside the locker. I closed the door and turned away, holding the folded paper between my fingers.

"Lemme see, lemme see!" Rima whined and I chuckled softly as I began to unfold it. Silently, I read the letter in my head.

_Dearest Amu,_

_Of course this isn't the ideal way of communicating with you, but I can't think of any other way without revealing myself. I just would like to say that you have caught my eye, and I can't avoid this feeling I have for you now. It's strange, but I've come to like you quite a bit. Maybe one day you'll find out who I am, but for now, I will remain a mystery._

_Love, your secret admirer_

As I read the letter, I felt my cheeks grow pinker and pinker. So it _was_ a love letter!? "E-Eh?" I said, unable to get any other words to come out.

Rima started to laugh, "I was right!" She pointed at me. "Amu's got a secret admirer!" She yelled and I looked over at her with a warning gaze. I quickly looked around the room to check if anyone heard, but I couldn't find anyone.

I reread the letter one last time before quickly folding it up again and slipping it into a special pocket in my bag that I've never used for anything, blushing. Rima smirked at me and I turned away from her. "I-I'm gonna head home now. See you l-later, Rima-chan!" I quickly rushed out the school door and down the road.

**Ikuto's P.O.V.**

I peeked around the corner of the lockers, watching Amu dash out the door. I smirked and tried not to laugh, then quickly walked into the other room so that short girl wouldn't find me.

"Hey man, did you do it?" Kukai was waiting for me by my classroom door, grinning. I chuckled when I saw him and nodded. "Ha! She's gonna get a kick out of this! Hey do you think I should write a letter to that girl's friend next, Rima I think?"

"Nah, she's got a boyfriend already I think." I said, grabbing a coin out of my pocket and flipping it in the air.

"So?" Kukai laughed. "What's not fun about stirring up a relationship?"

"I overheard that midget saying her boyfriend was ignoring her."

"Even better! If he's being a douche, let's speed up the break up by writing her false love letters so she falls in love with someone else."

"I don't know man. Maybe we shouldn't screw up their relationship." I said, tossing the coin to Kukai.

He caught it, staring at me with annoyance. "Then why are you writing them to that Amu girl? She'll just get caught up in this perversion."

"Well she doesn't have a boyfriend." I caught the coin as Kukai tossed it back. "Plus, it's fun to play around with a random girl's feelings."

"Hm." He slung his bag over his shoulder and walked over to me. "So why'd you choose that bubblegum head anyway?"

I smirked and began walking with Kukai. "She caught my eye, just like I said in the letter."

Kukai chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Just don't actually fall for her, man. That'll ruin the joke."

I looked over at him, grinning. "Don't worry, I won't."

**~Chapter End~**

I decided to make this story have short, sweet chapters so it would be easier to update and not so much a hassle to write. I hope you liked this first chapter. Please review! =D

~Amulet Fortune98


	2. Secret Tutor

**I do not own Shugo Chara or any of the characters.**

**Amu's P.O.V.**

"Hinamori-san. Hinamori-san!"

I snapped out of my daze when Rima nudged me hard in the back. "Sensei wants you to do the problem on the board!" Rima whisper-shouted from the desk behind me and I quickly shot out of my seat.

"S-Sorry Sensei!"

Sensei rolled his eyes, then pointed his meter stick to the math problem on chalk board. "Hinamori-san, would you please show us how to solve this problem.

I gulped, nervous. I was still shook up from the letter I received in my locker the day before, and I wasn't thinking straight. I hesitantly walked up to the board, holding the chalk tightly in my right hand. I stared at the math problem, lost. Even with my inability to do math, it was even worse with the thoughts going through my head.

I placed the chalk against the board, not knowing what to write. "U-Uh.." I tried to think, but all I could think of was the words said in that folded piece of paper.

I heard Sensei sigh then hit his desk with the meter stick and I flinched. "Tsukiyomi-san, would you like to help Hinamori-san out?" He asked, anger in his tone.

"Of course, Sensei." I turned my head around to see a tall, blue-haired boy walk up behind me. He was staring directly at me, a large cocky smirk on his face. He held his hand out and I stared at it, wondering what exactly he was waiting for. Did he want to shake my hand? Why would he want to do that?

Tsukiyomi chuckled softly and motioned to the chalk I was holding. "O-Oh!" I exclaimed, an embarrassed blush spreading across my cheeks. I quickly handed the stick of chalk to him, my hands shaking slightly.

He grinned at me, "Thanks." My heart pounded, probably from embarrassment as he turned to face the chalk board. He flawlessly moved the white stick across the board, making the problem seem so easy for him. He multiplied, divided, squared, subtracted, and added, all to find the answer to the problem. I stared with wide eyes in awe as he finished by circling his answer.

"Very good, Tsukiyomi-san. You may both return to your desks." Sensei said, turning to the board to write our homework assignment.

Tsukiyomi turned to me, his smirk still lingering on his lips, then walked to his desk. I quickly stumbled back to my seat, my face red.

The bell rang, and each student hopped out of their seats, dashing to the door. Sensei set down his meter stick, "Don't forget to do your homework, everyone. Be sure to get home safely, I hear there's a huge storm coming."

I stuffed my books into my bag and stood up, only to pause when I heard Sensei say "Hinamori-san, can I see you for a moment?"

I took a deep breath, nervous that he would be angry that I didn't know how to do the problem. As everyone squeezed out the door, I walked up to Sensei's desk. "Yes, Sensei?"

"Hinamori-san, I'm worried about your grades." He sat down and started to organize his papers. "You know that the math testing is coming up. I'm afraid you may fail this class if your grades continue to be this bad." My stomach dropped and I clutched my bag tightly. "I suggest you find a way to study better or get someone to tutor you." I nodded slowly, upset with myself. "That's all. You're dismissed."

**Ikuto's P.O.V.**

I smirked and looked around as I slipped another letter into Amu's locker, glad she was called after class to speak with Sensei. I quickly maneuvered my way around some students who appeared in the room and met up with Kukai in the hallway.

"Did you write another?" He asked, grinning.

"Yep, this one's even better."

"What does it say?"

" "Your eyes are the most beautiful honey-color, as I have noticed. You're hair is a gorgeous silky pink that I have seen no one else have. I wish you had mutual feelings for me, but I know that must not be possible seeing that you don't know who I am. One day, perhaps." " I recited, chuckling. "And I also included an umbrella because I noticed it was raining and she didn't have one."

Kukai began laughing, "That's perfect man! But how'd you know her eyes were honey-colored?"

"I noticed it in class today." I smirked and leaned against the wall.

"You're a pro." Kukai said, still laughing softly.

"Tsukiyomi-san!" I heard a girlish voice call my name and I turned my head to the source, shocked to see Amu rushing toward me. I shot a warning glance at Kukai then looked back at her, smirking.

"That's my name." I said, turning toward her and leaning against the wall.

"Tsukiyomi-san," She repeated, a little out of breath. "I was trying to catch you before you left!"

I chuckled softly, looking down at the helpless girl. "And what was so important that you needed to catch me before I left?"

Amu took a breath then looked up at me with a determined expression. "I-I was wondering if you would tutor me."

**~Chapter End~**

Gaah I think this story is turning out kinda cute, don't 'cha think? Haha xD Please review and tell me your thoughts on it! Thanks :)

~AmuletFortune98


	3. Secret Feelings

**I do not own Shugo Chara or any of the characters!**

**Ikuto's P.O.V.**

"So do I multiply these together?" Amu asked, her eyebrows scrunched together as she stared at the math problem.

"No, you first subtract this from the sum of these two numbers." I explained, pointing to the problem. I glanced over at the pinkette, who's expression seemed extremely confused. I sighed and started over. "You just added these two numbers together, right? What did you get?"

"845." She answered and looked up at me, unsure if she was right.

"Okay, now what would you get if you subtracted 400 from that number?"

"Uh..." Amu quickly scribbled the equation down on the paper and I rolled my eyes, amazed she couldn't do it with mental math. This is gonna be a tough mission. "445." She said, reading her answer off from the paper.

"Good. Now you multiply those together."

She nodded and worked on the equation on her paper. After a minute or so, she found the answer.

"That's right." I said, leaning back from the table and propping myself up on my elbows on the floor. "You really suck at this." I smirked, teasing her.

Amu glared at me, her cheeks turning pink slightly. "I just did the problem right!"

"Yeah, with me telling you exactly what to do the whole time." I chuckled and looked at her with an amused expression.

"W-Whatever! We should take a break now, anyway." She stood up and walked to the door. "I'm gonna make some tea." She said then left the room.

I grinned at the math book, amused by the girl. She got flustered so easily, it was so fun to tease her. Kukai didn't know why I agreed to tutoring her, but it's a great way to learn more about her. That way, I'll be able to include more stuff about her in my letters.

Taking advantage of her absence, I chose to stand up and look around the room. I leaned over her bookshelf full of manga and examined a picture of her holding her younger sister's hand. I walked over to her desk and saw a notebook with a flower design on the front. Tempted to open it, I ran my fingers across the surface but somehow stopped myself from opening it. I moved my gaze to two pieces of folded paper in the corner of her desk, and I grinned. So she saved them, huh? Perfect.

I heard the door open from behind me and in walked the pinkette holding a tray with two teacups. I smirked and pointed to the pieces of paper, deciding to play around with her for a bit. "Hey, what are these?"

Amu's face turned red and she quickly set down the tray. "Y-You didn't look at them did you!?"

I laughed softly. "Nope, just wonderin'." I picked up one of them. "But maybe I should...?"

"N-No!" Amu yelled and rushed over to me, reaching for the paper. I chuckled with amusement and kept the folded piece of paper away from her. She couldn't reach it because of how tall I was, but ended up pressing her body against mine as she attempted to grab it. Once she noticed how close she was to me, she quickly stepped back, blushing. "I-Idiot..."

I stared at her, confused as to why I stopped chuckling. I pushed away the sudden strange unfamiliar feeling in my chest and flicked the paper at her, turning and walking back to the table.

**Amu's P.O.V.**

I caught the piece of paper Tsukiyomi flicked at me, blushing softly. I don't know what made him want to give it back, but I'm glad he wasn't able to read it. Those were the two secret admirer letters I had gotten in my locker, and I got extremely embarrassed when a guy asked what they were.

I quickly tucked the two letters into my notebook and placed the notebook in one of my drawers.

"Come on," I heard Tsukiyomi say. "Let's continue with the lesson."

"A-Alright." I walked back to the table and sat down, staring at him. He was looking at me, but he didn't have his usual smirk I'd never seen him without. He quickly looked back at the problem and pointed at it with his pen.

"Try this one." He said.

I made a face that said that I couldn't and he shook his head, back to his smirking self.

"Fine. First you have to write this as a fraction."

"W-What? Why?"

"Because you can't multiply these when this isn't a fraction too."

"Can't I make this a decimal instead?"

"Yeah, but this is easier."

I looked at the problem with disgust then looked up at Tsukiyomi. "Nothing in math is easy."

Tsukiyomi chuckled then leaned back, "I give up."

"No!" I exclaimed, hesitating before going on. "Y-You're actually helping me a lot. I really appreciate it, Tsukiyomi-san."

Ikuto, blinked and there was a moment where he had a surprised expression before returning to his usual cocky smirk. "Just call me Ikuto from now on. It's easier."

I blushed softly as I thought about having to call him such a familiar term. "F-Fine. Thank you, Ikuto."

**~Chapter End~**

D'aww now she's calling him by his first name. I hope you liked this chapter! Please review and tell me what you think!

~AmuletFortune98


	4. Secret Friendship

**I do not own Shugo Chara or any of the characters.**

**Ikuto's P.O.V.**

"Dude…dude!" I heard Kukai's sharp voice yelling in my ear and I started, looking at Kukai in surprise. "God man, you've been spacing out all day. Something going on?"

I shake my head and push off from the hallway wall, beginning to walk to my next class. "No, I'm just thinking of what I should say in my next letter to Amu." Well it wasn't a complete lie. That had been what I had started out thinking of, then my thoughts became all jumbled and my mind ran into things I'd never realized it was capable of. I replayed my visit to Amu's house multiple times in my head, and I still couldn't figure out what that strange feeling I got was. And to make everything all the more difficult, my mind was being stubborn and I couldn't stop thinking about her. _Her._

Is she doing alright in class? Maybe we should have gone over those problems she was having trouble with a couple more times. I hope she doesn't get confused by those tough practice tests.

Each class I had apart from the pinkette, this was all I was thinking of. I couldn't focus on the lessons and for the first time all year, I had failed to hand in my classwork by the end of class because I hadn't finished. For the classes I had _with_ the pinkette, it was just as bad. I frequently found myself glancing over at her to see how she was doing, then for some reason I kept getting distracted by either the silkiness of her hair, her choice in clothing, the shuffling of her feet, or the way she bit the end of her pencil when she was trying to concentrate. My mind was on auto mode, and I struggled all day to set it back to manual.

"Ikuto! For crying out loud, listen!" I looked over at Kukai, pissed at myself for letting my thoughts wonder yet again.

"Sorry man, what did you say?" I asked, running a hand through my hair.

"I didn't say anything, it's this girl who's been talking to you." Kukai grinned and I whipped my head around, surprised to find the girl who was the source of my running mind all day standing directly in front of me.

I quickly tried to compose myself and put on my usual mask, smiling crookedly at her and leaning over slightly. "Well hello there, Amu."

I saw a slight tint of pink appear on her cheeks as she looked up at me. "I-I was just wondering if you were free this afternoon…"

"Hm, lemme check." I smirked and pulled out my phone, pretending to flip through a calendar of some sort for my 'schedule'. After a moment, I turned to look at her again and grinned. "It looks like I am! Completely free."

Amu giggled softly and I couldn't help noticing that certain odd feeling appear in my chest again. "Well would you be willing to help me out again tonight?" She asked, hope in her gaze which made me determined to succeed as her tutor.

"Of course, Amu." I smirked and the tint of pink returned to the girl's cheeks. She flashed a smile, muttered a thank you, and said something about seeing me in science class later. I watched her disappear through the crowds of people and Kukai caught me staring.

"Woah dude, I sense something…not too good…" He said, half grinning and half looking worried.

I turned my face to him, not knowing what he was talking about. "What?"

"Nevermind, just remember what you told me not to worry about." Kukai said then turned, yelling "See you in history!" before turning right into the other hallway.

I had no clue what he was talking about. Everything had been so confusing throughout the day that I couldn't even think straight anymore. Maybe after I get home from Amu's house I should get some rest.. Oh god now I have to think of something to write in another fake love letter to Amu. What can I use to spice it up this time…?

**Amu's P.O.V.**

I walked cautiously over to my shoe locker, practically knowing what I'd find inside. These last two days I'd received two love letters, obviously from the same person, on folded pieces of notebook paper. My heart fluttered when I read them both, but I was still completely clueless as to who was my secret admirer. I was no closer to finding out who it was as when I had received the first one.

I opened my locker, expecting the same as the last two days. To my surprise, I found a message written on a post-it note and stuck to the inside of my locker door and an origami rose taped next to it. My face flushed a dark pink as I read the post-it.

_Dear Amu,_

_I hope you'll find this origami rose acceptable and blush almost as red as the crimson paper. I would have bought you a real rose if I'd had the time, but I had to make do with items I already possessed. Maybe next time, though._

_Love, your secret admirer._

I felt the blood rush to my face as I read it and furrowed my eyebrows together. It sounded oddly like someone I knew could've written it, but who? Dismissing the thought, I reached for the beautifully crafted origami rose and pulled it off of the locker. I carefully peeled the tape off the back so the paper wouldn't rip and slid the card into my bag's special pocket that had been adapted into my secret admirer's letter pocket and kept the rose out to admire it.

"That's pretty amazing.." I suddenly heard the familiar deep voice creep up behind me and peer over my shoulder. I gasped in surprise and turned around to face Ikuto, blushing dark red. Once I realized he was talking about the origami, my face flushed even more. "I had no idea you were so talented in origami."

"Y-Yeah.. ahaha.. I-I've never really told anyone before…" I stuttered out, lying. I didn't want to say my secret admirer gave it to me, so I had to think of something else to tell him or he would get suspicious.

"Well aren't I special then? I'd love it if you made me one of those sometime. You know, as a thank you for being such a great tutor." He grinned down at me and I got the strange feeling that he knew I didn't make the rose. How did it seem to be that Ikuto knew everything? Even so, I went on with the lie, feeling myself practically sweat under the attention.

"Ahaha.. yeah p-possibly…" I smiled at him nervously and quickly shoved the rose into my special pocket, still being careful so not to rip it or crush it. "S-should we get going now?" I looked up at him, my cheeks a rosy-pink color now.

"Yeah. Did you bring an umbrella?" Ikuto asked and I whipped my neck to look out the window. It was pouring again. And I forgot my umbrella. _Again._ Even the one my secret admirer had so kindly given me yesterday. Great, now what was I going to do?

"I-I forgot… It was clear this morning…"

Ikuto chuckled and reached into his bag. "I suppose sharing wouldn't harm anyone." My cheeks lit up with warmth as Ikuto pulled out his own umbrella, alluding to sharing it with me.

We walked to my house silently, our shoulders gently rubbing against each other as we walked in order to be shielded from the rain by the small umbrella. Even with our closeness, one of my shoulders still got wet from the umbrella being too small to fit both of us. About halfway to my house, Ikuto seemed to notice this because my shoulder stopped getting rained on. I glanced over to check why and realized that Ikuto had slightly tilted the umbrella toward me, having it cover me completely and having half of his body be rained on. I blushed gently at his unexpected kindness in the situation and attempted to tilt the umbrella back over to him again without him noticing. This, however, failed.

Ikuto glanced over at me and smirked, noticing my attempt to tilt the umbrella over to him more. "You want to get rained on?" He asked, grinning.

"I don't really mind the rain.." I said, smiling softly.

"In that case…" Ikuto shot me a crooked smile and snatched the umbrella away from me, leaving me to get poured on. I gasped in surprise and looked over to a playfully-laughing Ikuto. Two can play at this game.

I laughed softly then snatched the umbrella back, having it be his turn to be poured on. I then started running forward, stealing the umbrella away and Ikuto chuckled as he caught up to me, grabbing the umbrella.

"I think I should hold this." He said, grinning.

"You started it!" I exclaimed, still laughing softly.

"Yes, but you continued it. To great extents." He smiled and I giggled. We were both completely soaked now.

"Fine, how about we both hold it then?" I suggested, smiling up at him.

"Hm, I don't know if I can trust you with this…"

We laughed under the umbrella, forming a bond between us neither of us had even realized. Friendship.

**~Chapter End~**

Wow the longest chapter yet! I hope you guys enjoyed this fluffy chappie, haha! ;D Please review and tell me what you thought of it! There's more cuteness to come! ^-^

~AmuletFortune98


	5. Secret Shock

**I do not own Shugo Chara or any of the characters.**

**Amu's P.O.V.**

"I don't get it…" I groaned after another one of Ikuto's long explanations.

"Still?" He asked and I nodded, him sighing softly. "I guess we'll take another break then." I silently cheered and Ikuto stood up.

"Are you hungry?" I asked, and he shrugged. Grr, indecisive.

"I just feel like running around."

I laughed softly and he opened my door to the hallway, then began running down the hall. I watched in surprise, then waited to see if he would return. Ikuto soon slid into my vision in the doorframe and he grinned at me,

"Your floor is really slippery. Awesome for sliding on."

"Really!?" I stood up, eager to have some fun as well. "Mom must have waxed it earlier today!" I joined him in the hallway and watched him run and slide, his socks helping him gain distance. I smiled and tried too, getting a running start then sliding down the slippery hallway. As I got closer to where Ikuto was standing at the end of the hallway, I began to lose my balance and crashed into him. Realizing I was about to fall on my back from being unbalanced, I grabbed onto the front of Ikuto's shirt seeking something to keep me up but ended up accidentally pulling him down with me. "Ah!"

I opened my eyes to find Ikuto hovering over me, supporting himself with his hands on the floor on either side of me. I was holding onto his shirt, a deep blush spreading across my face as I stared into his enticing blue gaze. He stared back at me, seeming to be just as shocked as I. Something warm settled in the pit of my stomach, and I found my face getting redder by the second. Without even realizing, we appeared to stay in the surprised position for a few minutes.

"I'm home Amu-chan!"

My face flushed bright pink as I heard the familiar voice of my mom call to me from down the stairs. My gaze finally broke apart from his as I noticed my little sister Ami climb up the stairs, only to see what a strange sight it must have been. Before I could figure out just what was going on, Ami called down to mom.

"Mama, there's some strange boy with Onee-chan!" She called, staring at Ikuto with wide eyes. Ikuto stared with shock then quickly climbed off of me and stood up as we heard a surprised "What!?" from downstairs. I rushed frantically to stand up as well before my mom got the chance to make it all the way up the stairs.

My mom stared at Ikuto for a long moment then looked at me with a smile, but I could tell she was hiding something behind her supposedly happy expression. "Who is this, honey?"

"U-Uh this is I-Ikuto Tsukiyomi, Mom. R-Remember me telling you I got a friend to help tutor me?" I stuttered, trying to pretend that nothing had just happened between the two of us.

"And this is him?" She asked, glancing at Ikuto. I nodded and to my surprise, my mom clapped with glee. "Oh I'm so excited it's a boy! I'm Hinamori Midori, Amu's mom. It's nice to meet you Ikuto-kun!" She smiled and looked back and forth from me to him, practically squealing. "I'll go make some snacks. In the meantime, feel free to go continue working in Amu's room!" She smiled at us one last time before turning and dashing down the stairs into the kitchen, leaving Ikuto and I dumbfounded, embarrassed, and left with Ami.

"I'm Hinamori Ami!" My little sister announced proudly, staring up at Ikuto. Ikuto looked down at her and gave her a soft smile; something I've never seen come from him before. He bent down slightly to ruffle her hair and Ami smiled widely in return.

"It's nice to meet you Ami-chan. I'm Ikuto." He gave her a little pat on the head then stood up straight again, Ami grinning. I watched with a smile, kind of surprised Ikuto handled my little sister so well. Usually Ami was afraid of older boys like him, but somehow Ikuto made himself comfortable company.

Ikuto turned his head to look at me and caught me staring. He smirked and I blushed, looking away. "C-Come on, Ikuto. L-let's go back to studying…" I stuttered nervously and returned to my room, hoping he was following.

For some reason, seeing my family accept Ikuto so easily made me really happy.

**Ikuto's P.O.V.**

I smirked to myself as I entered Amu's room again, surprised by the greeting I received by her mom and little sister.

"W-What are you smirking at?" Amu asked, smiling softly.

"Nothing, just how ridiculous and nice your family seems." I sat down beside the table by her.

"I'm gonna forget you said the ridiculous part and just pretend you said my family seems nice." Amu giggled softly and I smiled at her. I kept feeling the same feeling I got when I saw her at school and the last time I came to her house, and I still couldn't pinpoint what it was. I started feeling it when Amu accidentally toppled to the floor, bringing me with her. Something about staring into her golden orbs made this feeling occur…

My thoughts were interrupted by Amu's mom knocking and appearing at the door holding a tray of cookies and tea. "I'm so glad you came to visit, Ikuto-kun! And thank you so much for tutoring Amu-chan." She said as she placed the tray down, smiling at me.

I returned the smile, "It's not a problem at all. I actually enjoy it." I glanced at Amu with a smirk and she blushed softly, then I looked back to her mom. "By the way, Mrs. Hinamori, your daughter is very cute and smart."

Amu's mom seemed to be surprised by my comment, then a huge smile spread across her face. "Amu-chan is!?" She asked eagerly.

Amu's face turned a dark pink and she glared up at her mom. "H-He's talking about Ami, Mom…"

"Oh… well thank you very much." She smiled then turned and exited the room, closing the door behind her.

I looked over at Amu, smirking softly at her sudden discomfort. I hadn't intended my comment to be directed at her, but I suppose that's what it sounded like. I mean, I _could_ be talking about her. Except for the smart part…

I chuckled softly at my own thought, then pulled out my math book. "Onto math!" I exclaimed and Amu groaned with annoyance.

**~Chapter End~**

Hahaha so I suppose I don't exactly have Midori's character exactly right, but I suppose none of the characters are completely accurate to their personalities. Midori didn't mind Amu having romantic relations with boys in the anime, but I kinda intensified it a bit and made her a strong supporter of her daughter's love life, haha! :D So review and tell me what you thought of the chapter! Thank you

~AmuletFortune98


	6. Secret Presents

**I do not own Shugo Chara or any of the characters!**

**Amu's P.O.V.**

I giggled softly as I read my little note written by someone I had yet to discover. It was on beautiful rose parchment paper and folded neatly into a pink envelope with beautiful tilted cursive letters on the front forming my name. Each time I read these letters, I felt my heart pound. I felt as if I was falling in love with whoever wrote them but I knew that was impossible, seen as I didn't even know who they were. With a smile, a little red in the face, I reread the letter for the second time.

_Lovely Amu,_

_Today I noticed yet another cute thing about you. When you're called on in class and you don't know the answer, you tap your feet on the ground nervously. I don't intend this to sound as if I'm stalking you, only admiring you from afar. _

_Love, your secret admirer_

Once I stopped rereading the letter, I began to notice something. If he said he realized I tapped my feet nervously in class, he must have a class together with me! I was one step closer to figuring out this mystery, yet still so far from solving the case.

"Amu-chaaaan!" I whipped my head around, shocked as Rima skipped toward me.

"R-Rima-chan, you sure are in a good mood... What happened?" I giggled softly, then began folding up the note in my hand.

Rima pretended to pout, then erupted in fits of giggles. I stared at her, noticing her complete change in character. "Oh Amu-chan, is that another love letter?" She asked enthusiastically.

"Y-Yeah..." I blushed, smiling softly as I tucked it away in my special pocket.

"I get it, you don't want to read it cause you're too embarrassed!" Rima giggled softly and patted me on the back. "You're such a girl!" She hesitated, then smiled. "Well I suppose I am as well..."

I looked at her, furrowing my brow, wondering what could have gotten her into such a good mood. Then it came to me; it's Rima's birthday! Someone must have given her a great gift. "Rima-chan, I have something for you!" I smiled and she stared at me with excitement as I turned and reached into my locker. After a moment, I pulled out a tiny box and a card, giving them to my friend. She smiled happily and began to unwrap the box.

"Woah.." She blinked in awe at the small ring I bought her; one I had remembered that she was interested in last time we went to the mall. She immediately grinned up at me and wrapped me in a tight hug, which I was not expecting. I chuckled softly and motioned to the card.

"Now open that." I smiled.

Rima nodded and quickly slid the ring on her right hand ring finger. She then opened her locker and stuffed the small box inside, turning to look at the card. She slowly opened in, then began reading what I had written out loud.

"Here's to being such a great friend. I hope you enjoy this gift as much as you enjoy teasing me. Happy birthday, Rima-chan. Love your very best friend, Amu."

Rima bit her lip to prevent herself from smiling too wide. She giggled with giddiness as she opened a secret flap in the card I bought her and revealed a gift card to the manga store. She gasped, realizing that it was the same manga store she always went for her gag mangas.

"Oh my goodness, thank you so much Amu-chan!" She squeaked with happiness, pulling me into another hug where I was unable to inhale. I smiled, glad she enjoyed my gift so much.

"You're welcome! Maybe we could go to the manga store after school today." I suggested, then froze when I remembered something. "Oh wait- I can't today, actually. I have studying to do with Ikuto."

"Hmhmm?" Rima lifted an eyebrow, smirking at me with a mischievous look that almost frightened me. "You've been hanging out with that Tsukiyomi boy a lot lately. And you even call him by his first name!" She nudged me in the side, grinning, turning my face a light pink.

I attempted to stay calm and turned my head away from her, crossing my arms. "N-Nothing is happening between us, I swear." Wanting to put her under the spotlight, I turned to her, mimicking her evil grin and nudging her back. "But what's got you in such a good mood? Did Nagi propose?" I joked, giggling softly to myself.

Blood rushed to Rima's face, turning her light skin color to a dark pink. She nervously looked down and smiled softly. "N-No..."

I could tell I was on to something, and I knew it was about Nagi. "Alright. So... what did Nagi get you for your birthday?"

Rima giggled softly to herself and I could tell I got her. She laced her fingers together behind her back and shuffled her feet with contained happiness. "He got me tickets to the amusement park and..." She trailed off, looking down at the ground while smiling to herself.

"Rima-chan! Tell me exactly what happened!" I insisted, taking a step toward her.

"A-Ah..." She bit her lip and hesitantly went on, "H-He told me to meet him in the courtyard right before class because he had something for me... I-I was actually really happy when he texted me to say that because we haven't exactly been around each other too often recently and I thought he was ignoring me... B-But when I saw him and he gave me the tickets he told me he knew I was upset with him and explained why he was acting so distant lately. It was because he got a job in order to pay for the tickets and he was always so busy with work that he didn't have time to hang out with me after school. Then he..." She paused and I stared at her, gesturing for her to continue. "H-He kissed me and then said he knew he should have waited to do kiss me until we were at the amusement park for it to be more r-romantic but he said he couldn't wait that long..."

I squealed with happiness, grinning at her. "He got a job for you, Rima-chan! And he finally kissed you! I have been waiting ever since you guys started going out for him to kiss you, and he finally had the guts to do it! I'm so happy for you, Rima-chan." Rima nodded, blushing.

**Ikuto's P.O.V.**

"Ikuto, this is Saaya Yumabuki. Saaya, this is Ikuto Tsukiyomi." Kukai gestured to each of us, then grinned.

"Yo," I mumbled to the grinning-widely Saaya. I then turned by head to Kukai and whispered. "Is this the next love letter victim or..."

"No, no, dude! It's the daughter of the principle of the school. We're childhood friends, and she happens to have a huge crush on you. Once she found out I was your best friend, she begged me to introduce her to you." Kukai muttered back, giving me the thumbs up. Then in a louder voice so Saaya was able to hear, Kuki said, "So Ikuto, Saaya was wondering if you wanted to go to the movies with her today. She invited me too, but I was busy." Kukai winked, indirectly confessing that he was lying about the "busy" part.

I stared at him in disbelief that he would try setting me up with his childhood friend. Who cared if she had a crush on me, I don't just go out with random people I don't have feelings for. Turning my gaze to the red haired girl who obviously tried too hard with makeup and hair designs, I sighed. "Sorry, I'm busy too."

The smile on Saaya's face disappeared, and she turned to look at Kukai with a "you said he would say yes face" and Kukai stared at me in surprise. "Uh, what are you doing after school?"

I stared at Kukai, almost challengingly. "I'm tutoring."

Kukai paused for a moment, then leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. "So it's true, huh? You've actually fallen for that girl."

"What are you talking about, Kukai?" I asked, almost a statement more than a question.

"Whatever. I'm going to head home. See ya, dude." Kukai waved and nodded to Saaya, then turned and headed down the hallway.

Saaya turned to me and attempted recovering her smile. "T-That's too bad you're busy today. If we exchange numbers maybe we can get together another time?" She suggested, pulling out her phone and opening it as if she expected to add me as a contact.

"That's alright, we don't need to hang out." I grinned at my own cruelness and nonexistent interest in getting this desperate girl's number. I chuckled softly at myself and turned around, making my way to Amu's locker to meet up with her.

**~Chapter End~**

Well, not as much Amuto in this chapter but a bit of Rimahiko for all those fans out there! Haha ^/^ I promise I'll make more Amuto scenes in the future chapters! :D Don't forget to review, thanks~! :3

~AmuletFortune98


	7. Secret Suspects

**I do not Shugo Chara or any of the characters.**

**Amu's P.O.V.**

"Hinamori-san, please solve question five on the board." Sensei called and I got up with a determined look. I quickly glanced behind me and saw a certain blue-haired boy smirk, then give me the thumbs up. I smiled, eager to show off what Ikuto's been tutoring me about.

I walked to the board and picked up the stick of chalk, placing it on the chalkboard as I glanced down at my math book to read the problem. I recalled Ikuto teaching me to always write out the problem first so that I understood it better, so I began doing that on the board. I felt Sensei's eyes boring into me and I grinned softly, wanting to prove to him that I wouldn't fail his class.

Using Ikuto's methods, my hand moved the chalk along the board almost like magic. I ended up having to pause every once and a while to do some quick mental math, but I always picked myself back up and came up with an answer. I stared at my work proudly and circled my answer, actually confident for once on what I came up with. I placed the chalk down and turned to Sensei, smiling expectantly.

"Wow, Hinamori-san. You've really improved!" Sensei smiled and my eyes widened.

"So my answer is right?" I asked eagerly.

Sensei nodded and I erupted in giggles and squeals. I heard a chuckle in the back of the room and turned my gaze to where it came from. Finding that the source was Ikuto, I bit my lip and smiled at him, wanting to thank him personally for getting the answer right for the first time ever when Sensei called me up to the board, but decided I could just do it after class or even during one of our study sessions.

I smiled one more time at Sensei and walked to my desk, proud of myself. As Sensei went on with the lesson, I tried to focus but ended up getting lost again. _I guess I still need more tutoring..._ I thought, then realized that my mind started drifting. Giving in to it, I began thinking of what my secret admirer had written in his last letter. _Hehe, my secret admirer.. It feels so strange to say that I have a secret admirer..._ Finding myself giggling stupidly to myself, I cough and attempt to look cool in front of my classmates who started giving me weird looks.

But who could my secret admirer be? If I deducted that he was in one of my classes, then if I studied each boy in my classes would I figure out who has been secretly writing me love letters?

Deciding to give it a shot, I turned my head around and looked at each boy. I noticed a boy I'd never spoken to before a couple rows behind me. He had black hair and glasses, but I had realized that in class he was very quiet. My secret admirer was always really confident, so I ruled him out. I then saw Tadase-kun in the corner of the room, and I shrugged. Maybe it was him, but he was always really shy when he'd talk to me so I couldn't really imagine him very confident either. Then there's Kairi, who's the smart one. He never really pays attention to me, I've noticed, and gives off the vibe that he's smarter than me and he knows it. He could have a secret affectionate side, however. My gaze then drifted to Nagihiko, which I didn't even have to ponder about because he was in love with Rima and was her boyfriend. After that, my gaze instantly fell on Ikuto and I shook my head, almost positive that he wasn't the one behind the letters. _Or could he be?_ He's confident, always teasing me, and always knows the right thing to say. Even though he seemed kind of intimidating in class with that signature smirk of his, I've discovered that he can actually be really sweet and fun to be around, too.

_But I doubt it._ _I have other classes, too. For all I know, my secret admirer could be in any of my classes._

**Ikuto's P.O.V.**

I stare at the blank piece of pink-swirled parchment paper, my pen at the ready position. I think for a moment, then almost like it's a dance, my pen magically moves across the sheet in neatly handwritten cursive. I barely think about what I'm writing, and soon I find myself ending the note with "_Love, your secret admirer_".

I take a breath and lean back, staring at the letter and rereading what I had written.

"_My Wonderful Amu,_

_Words can not express the way I feel about you. I love it when I see your smile, and it makes me feel all warm and happy inside. Sometimes when I'm near you, I feel like I just want to hug you tight to me and never let you go. If I could, I would. Sadly, I can't. _

_Love, your secret admirer"_

Writing these were so embarrassing but for some reason, the writing came easily to me. I barely needed to think about what I was writing to come up with compliments for Amu, but I had no idea why.

Even if it was easy to write these fake love letters, I found it incredibly hard to bring myself to slip them inside Amu's locker. Something inside me kept telling me to stop, but I knew Amu would be crushed if she found that her secret admirer had given up on her and moved on. I saw the way that Amu looked at the origami rose I made for her, and how protective she was of the first two letters I wrote her. If she ever found out that this secret admirer thing was all a fake and I was the one behind it, however, she would be so embarrassed and furious.

I heard my phone start buzzing on my desk top and picked it up, checking the message.

"_Hey! Sorry this is so late notice but my History test is tomorrow and I totally forgot until just now! Do you mind coming over and helping me study? Besides, you said you were good at every subject, right? :P –Amu_

I grinned and texted back saying that I would head over right away and saying something playfully cocky like "of course I'm good at every subject" or something in that genre. I grabbed a light jacket and smirked as I headed out the door to Amu's house.

**xxx**

"Good afternoon, Ami-chan." I smiled crookedly at the young girl and she giggled. I bent down with a grin and patted her head.

"Does Iku-chan like my pigtails?" Ami asked while looking up at me with round eyes and pointing to her pigtails on either side of her head. Each of them was tied with a blue ribbon in a bow. "Onee-chan did them for me!"

I smiled at the girl and nodded. "They suit you."

Ami smiled and looked up at her older sister who was standing beside her. Amu smiled at me, and I stood up, walking toward her.

"I-I'm sorry you had to come on such short notice..." She said softly and glanced down at Ami who was staring at us intently.

"It doesn't matter as long as I get to see you." I teased and stepped toward her, smirking. Amu turned bright red and Ami dashed off. I chuckled and watched after Ami who had too pure of a heart to stick around.

"Y-You and Ami get a-along pretty well.." Amu said with a cute stutter. She was obviously trying to change the subject from my teasing, and I just grinned.

"What can I say? Little kids love me." Amu giggled softly and I gave her a smile as she turned and lead me into her room.

She placed her books down on the table. "I'll get some snacks." As she turned toward the door I saw her sway, then quickly find her balance as she dashed out through the door.

I stood, glancing around the room with my hands in my pockets. The room was almost too familiar for me; I'd gone there a bunch of times already. I didn't know what to expect when I accepted Amu's request for me to become her tutor, but I'm kind of glad I did. Surprisingly, I had fun when I came over to this house, and I actually enjoyed myself for once.

I guess I'd never thought about it before, but I wasn't usually happy with my life. Sure, I got good grades in each subject, but my social life wasn't the best. Kukai was fun to hang with, but I guess I didn't enjoy playing with girls' feelings as much as he did. He found it incredibly fun to toy with girls and have no emotion behind it, but I found that to be a little rude, and I wasn't always comfortable doing it. I don't know why I agreed to doing it with Amu, but something felt different about it. And for some reason, I actually enjoyed my time with Amu more than I had expected.

I heard Amu open the door again and I walked over to help her when suddenly I saw her loose her balance again and drop the tray of food she brought from the kitchen. She closed her eyes and fell limp to the side where I desperately caught her in my arms.

**~Chapter End~**

Quick update! :) I'm getting good at this ^^ Hahaha I hope you liked this somewhat longer chapter, and don't forget to review! Taaank youuu :3

~AmuletFortune98


	8. Secret Heartbeats

**I do not own Shugo Chara or any of the characters.**

**Amu's P.O.V.**

"Ikuto, it's very sweet that you came over to tutor her and all, but I think it would be best if you headed home now, it's late. Leave her to us. We'll be sure to contact you if the situation changes."

I heard my mom's words echo in my head in my half-asleep daze. I scrunched my eyebrows together and tried to go back asleep.

"I understand. Thank you for having me."

"W-Wait, Ikuto!" I heard a voice call but I wasn't able to figure out who said it until I realized who's voice it belonged to; mine.

I finally was able to open my heavy eyelids and stare up at my family who was crowded around me. I then noticed Ikuto mixed in with them as well, staring at me with a worried expression. I noticed how I had grabbed onto his hand when I called for him and blushed softly, letting go and looking away.

Ikuto turned and keeled down at the side of my bed. "Are you alright, Amu?" He asked, his tone sweet and concerned.

I stared into his eyes, my eyebrows still scrunched together. "W-What happened?"

"You fainted after you brought us snacks. Do you feel okay?"

"I-I'm just tired and a little dizzy..." I mumbled, embarrassed at myself for fainting in front of him.

"Get some more rest." He said with a reassuring smile and stood up, "I have to head back home."

"W-Wait, but..." He looked down at me, waiting for me to explain why I wanted him to stay. "W-We haven't studied for my test tomorrow at all..."

Ikuto blinked, then chuckled softly, glancing at my mom who smiled. "You won't be going to school tomorrow if you feel dizzy and tired." She said.

"R-Right..." I mumbled and looked into the many worried eyes around me. "I-I was just up all night last night for this other test I had earlier today and I guess I didn't get enough sleep..."

I watched as Mom, Dad, and Ikuto sighed with relief. Did they think I had some sort of rare, deadly decease or something?

"I'm glad it's not something too serious. Get some rest though. I'll visit you tomorrow." Ikuto gently brushed a strand of hair out of my face and I couldn't pull my gaze from his for a moment as I began blushing. My eyes followed him out of the door and I was almost afraid to look at my parents who watched that little form of contact between me and him.

"My little Amu-chan and some _boy_!" My dad whined with horror while my mom giggled with excitement. As this was going on, Ami ran to my bedroom door yelling goodbyes to Ikuto as he left. I breathed a large sigh and slowly closed my eyes again, drifting into a dreamless sleep.

**xxx**

"It's so sweet of you for stopping by, Ikuto-san. You and Amu seem really close." A female voice chirped quietly from across the room.

"It's nothing. I really.. care about Amu, so naturally I got worried." I could almost hear the smirk in his tone.

"I'm really sorry to leave you by yourself, but we have to go to Ami's chorus concert. If anything happens, give us a call. Our number is on the refrigerator downstairs."

"Have a good time." He said, then I heard a quiet closing of the bedroom door. In my half-asleep mode, I had absentmindedly assumed no one was in the room after the door had closed but once I heard footsteps leading themselves close to my bed, I found myself to be mistaken.

After a moment the footsteps stopped and I heard the person sit on the wood floor. He unzipped his backpack and seemed to have placed his books down on the table.

I could sense it was Ikuto. I knew by the voice and by how he told me he'd try to stop by today. Did he even go to school today?

Not wanting to lay in bed half-asleep, half-awake anymore, I stirred and attempted to rouse myself from my slumber. My hands slowly shot up to my eyes and began rubbing the sleep out of them. Without intending to, I made a soft grumbling sound as I tried to wake up and noticed the sound Ikuto made as he stood up and came closer to the bed.

Wanting to be certain of my assumptions, I squinted as I slowly opened my eyes only to find blue spheres staring back at me, pupils dilated. I felt myself suddenly experience a wave of heat and it made me feel strangely uncomfortable.

"I-Ikuto?" I noticed myself mumble, propping myself up on one elbow while I continued to rub my eyes with the other hand.

"You sure slept a lot, lazy strawberry." Ikuto chuckled softly and sat on the edge of the bed.

"D-Don't call me that!" I felt myself turn a soft shade of pink. "W-What time is it?"

"It's three-thirty in the afternoon."

"W-What!?" I sat up instantly, almost crashing into Ikuto in the process. He just grinned and placed a hand on my shoulder, gently pressing me back down on the pillow.

"Just because it's late doesn't mean you should get out of bed. Do you feel any better?" He asked, his face marked with his crooked smile.

"I-I'm a little dizzy still, but I'm better. Um... w-what are you doing here, Ikuto?" I asked quietly, suddenly feeling a little shy.

"I told you I'd visit you today, and I'm not a liar." He grinned softly.

I caught myself staring up at Ikuto and for some reason, not wanting to avert my eyes even though my stomach was squirming. A moment passed with silent eye-contact, then Ikuto brushed his surprisingly soft fingers against my cheek and I felt the heat rise to my face. He traced his fingers up to my forehead and held them there for a second, then pulled them away.

"You're pretty warm, but I wouldn't say you had a fever."

I blushed a slightly darker shade, embarrassed that he was testing my temperature right after I fortuitously felt blood rush to my face. He must have only said I was warm because I was blushing.

"U-Um..." I had suddenly become very thirsty, but I felt as if Ikuto didn't want me to get up so there was no way of doing it myself. Feeling like I was being a little unmannerly having him be in my house and all, I shyly tried to ask if he would get something to drink for me. "I-Ikuto?"

"What?"

"C-Could you do me a favor?" I blushed gently, rolling onto my side so I was facing him more.

"Of course," he gave me a caring smile and I felt as if my temperature was rising yet again, "what is it?"

"W-Would you please get me a glass of water? I-I'm really thirsty..."

Ikuto stood and nodded, shooting me a grin before exiting the room.

**Ikuto's P.O.V.**

"Here you are, princess." I smirked as Amu turned a shade of pink, quickly grabbing the water and taking a sip before protesting me calling her a princess. After she had finally stopped fussing, I chuckled. "So what subject was the test you had on? The one you stayed up all night to study for?"

Amu looked almost hesitant to answer. "U-Uh... s-science.." She said then hung her head a bit, trying to hide her red face.

"Oh I see, so you're bad in all your classes and not just math, am I right?" I smirked and Amu frowned at me.

"I-It's not like I want to be this stupid!"

"You're not stupid! You're actually getting a lot better in math. It's because of me, but still." I grinned and she smiled softly.

Suddenly, something hit me. It almost knocked the wind out of my lungs and I held onto the headboard of the bed for support. I held myself together and coughed softly to hide my slight embarrassment for looking as if I was about to faint as well.

"Are you okay, Ikuto?" I heard the girl's sweet, concerned voice beside me but the second I turned my head and saw her worried face, it hit me again. "Ikuto!"

Amu sat up immediately and held onto my arm, causing my stomach to stir uncomfortably. I felt heat claw at my insides, yet it wasn't painful. I coughed one last time and tried to even out my breathing before Amu could notice that anything was seriously wrong with me.

"Ikuto...? What's wrong?"

I turned my head and looked directly into her eyes. My body fought the feeling that filled up inside me as I gazed at her and I couldn't help my hands from feeling sweaty. Never before had I ever felt something so...overwhelming.

"Nothing.. nothing is wrong, I'm fine." I gave Amu a reassuring grin but she didn't seem satisfied. Nevertheless, she gently let go of my arm and sat back a bit, the concerned expression still plastered onto her face. "And.. I'd be fine with tutoring you in science, as well."

Amu sat there for a moment, then smiled softly. "You would?" After I nodded, she smiled a bit wider. For some reason, that smile triggered that same chest-tightening feeling I received but I tried my best to hide it. "But.. I don't want you to always have to come over here.. It's a lot of work, isn't it? Having to come and tutor me then having your own homework to do later on in the day?"

"No, it's fine. Homework only takes me an hour at most." There was a pause, then Amu began giggling softly. I ran my fingers through my hair and looked away. "What is it?"

"Nothing, I just wish I was as much as a hard worker as you."

I didn't know what it was but I knew that at that point, with my heart beating as fast as it was, it was too dangerous to look back at the pinkette with the honey-golden irises.

**~Chapter End~**

Teeheee ^/^ You guys wanted fluff, so I fulfilled your wishes! :3 Here you go; a fluffy Amuto chappie! ^-^ Stay tuned for more, so don't forget to follow the story and review it! :D

~AmuletFortune98


	9. Secret Dilation

**I do not own Shugo Chara or any of the characters.**

**Amu's P.O.V.**

"I-It's too embarrassing..." Rima said, blushing and holding her books tightly to her chest.

Even with her protests, I urged on, "Please tell me what happened at the amusement park!"

Rima bit her lip, then looked up at me. Very slowly, she took a breath and then looked back down at the ground. "He... he didn't go on any of the big scary rides because I told him I didn't like them even when he did and then... after he bought me ice cream and we um... kissed... he told me that h-he..." She blushed dark red and looked up at me with a determined expression. "He told me that he loves me!" She finally managed and my eyes grew wide.

"W-Wow! Did you tell him you loved him back!?" I gazed at her expectantly.

"U-Uh.." Rima blushed in embarrassment and shook her head. Before I could bombard her with questions of why she didn't say it back to him because she obviously loved him too, Rima went on. "I-I was kinda speechless and I got really nervous. He noticed that I was shy though and just kissed me again..."

"Aww, Rima-chan that's so sweet! But you have to tell him you love him back soon, or else he'll get discouraged!" Even though I had no experience whatsoever in the world of love, I still somehow found it okay to give Rima advice on her boyfriend.

"I know, I know..." Rima blushed softly and smiled to herself. She then seemed to notice something behind me and smirked at me. "You know, they say that your pupils dilate when you see the person you like..."

"Huh? What are you talking abo-"

"Amu." I heard the familiar deep voice behind me and whipped around, coming face to face with Ikuto.

Rima chuckled beside me and whispered quietly in my ear. "Your pupils just got bigger, Amu-chaan..."

My face turned bright red as I stared at her with disbelief. Those rumors couldn't be true. How would your pupils know to get bigger when the person you liked was around? Even if that was true, Rima could have just been teasing me. One thing is for sure, I don't have a crush on Ikuto.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Nagi appeared and placed his arm around a flushed Rima, escorting her to her next class.

"I just came here to ask if I was coming over to your place today." Ikuto said, forcing me to look back at him with a soft blush.

"U-Um, y-yeah sure!"

"Just don't overexert yourself again." He grinned and I smiled softly, my cheeks a rosy color.

"Got it."

He smirked at me then turned and walked down the hall.

**Ikuto's P.O.V.**

_Sweetest Amu,_

_When you look at me, my heart races with anticipation. I feel my insides floating and warmth envelops me. You have no idea what you do to me, my dear Amu. _

_Love, your secret admirer_

My brow furrowed as I read my letter over, confused. Did I even write this? I remembered sitting down to write a love letter for Amu the other night after I got home from her house, but I hadn't remembered writing any of this. But strangely enough, what I wrote seemed to describe what I felt like the other night at Amu's house. Was I in some sort of daze? Daydreaming perhaps? Either way, the letter was written nicely but I needed something to spice it up. After all, I had been writing to her every day for a while now, and I needed it to progress a little more if I wanted Amu to fall in love with me.

Wait...I wanted Amu to fall in love with me?

That can't be true, I just wanted her to fall in love with a fake secret admirer to have a little fun. I'm not sure why, but for some reason writing these letters had gotten easier for me. I barely had to think about them anymore, and the words I used seemed to flow naturally from my pen. Something about Amu.. she was doing something to me, but I couldn't figure out what.

Putting that aside, I tried to think of something I could do to spice up my letter. Once I figured something out, I decided on stopping at the floral shop on the way to school the next day. I purchased two pink flowers, writing a quick P.S. at the bottom of the note about how the flowers suited her because they were the exact shade of pink she turned when she blushed. Chuckling, I slipped the secret admirer items into my bag and entered the school building.

"Yo, Ikuto!" I heard the brunette say enthusiastically with a grin on his face.

"You look happy.." I said, walking to my locker.

"That's right! Guess what happened yesterday after you left school immediately?" He asked, getting closer to me.

"What?"

"You know that blonde girl in calculus? Utau is her name?"

"What about her?"

"She totally asked me out yesterday! She's so hot..." Kukai practically swooned, staring at what seemed to be a fantasy.

"She asked you out? How?" I asked, grabbing my books for first period.

"She asked if I was free this afternoon and said we should work on our calculus project together..." He said, almost slurring, as he continued to swoon.

"Uh, aren't you two partners for that new project we have? Sorry to break it to you, but that's not really what you'd call 'asking someone out'."

"What!? Of course it is!" Kukai protested, scowling at me. Realizing he must have been really into this girl, I backed off a bit.

"So what about that other blond girl you were going to write false love letters to? Amu's friend Mashiro Rima?"

"I was never interested in her, I just wanted to have a little fun. But now I think I'm really hitting it off with Utau so.. I'll take a break from love letters for a while! Good luck making that Amu girl's feelings get all jumbled! I better go find Utau. You never know when there are flirting opportunities." His grin stretched wide across his face then he dashed down the hall, turning left.

"Ikuto-kuun!" I tried my best not to cringe at the voice, as I turned my head. Silently cursing myself, I closed my locker and turned toward the girl who was running toward me.

"What is it you want, Saaya-san?" I asked through almost gritted teeth.

Saaya flashed me her best smile, lacing her fingers behind her back and slightly bending over, trying to show off her barely existent chest. Her hair was overly curled and it looked as if she had spend hours doing her makeup that morning. "I was just wondering if you wanted to work on our calculus project after school today!"

I let out a large sigh. Out of all the people, why had I been paired up with Saaya for that damn project? I had tried to block it out from my memory when I went to see Amu the other night, but there's no running away from a partnered project. Plus, I actually wasn't the best at calculus and Sensei would start getting worried about me if I blew that project off. At least Amu didn't take calculus because then I would have to say no to me tutoring her in a subject I wasn't good in.

"I'm busy, sorry."

"Whaaat?" Saaya pretended to pout and stepped up closer to me. "But when will we have the time to work on it?"

"Another time." I said nonchalantly, turning and hoping she would then leave me alone.

"Alright, but we better exchange numbers to figure out days we can get together..."

"Nah, I'll just talk to you in class. Later." I started walking away, just wishing she wouldn't follow behind me.

**~Chapter End~**

Haha! Saaya rejection! Lol ^-^ Tehe well this story is a bit far from over, so I hope you guys aren't like bored of it or anything. Well I really enjoy all of your enthusiastic reviews and I'm so happy this story is getting a lot of attention. Thank you so much! :3

~AmuletFortune98


	10. Secret Jealousy

**I do not own Shugo Chara or any of the characters.**

**Ikuto's P.O.V.**

"I did it!" Amu exclaimed with excitement, staring at her paper in awe. I smirked softly, gazing at her.

"I guess you actually _do_ have a brain. Who would have guessed?" I teased her and chuckled, Amu giving me a glare. She had just aced the practice test I came up with for her on history, and she was currently beaming with pride.

After a moment of admiring the practice test's grading, Amu's gaze floated up to me...who just happened to be looking back at her at that time. I felt my stomach clench up, and I tried not to look uncomfortable. "Ikuto," she finally said softly, "do you have any homework?"

Dammit.

That stupid calculus project was due at the end of the week, and I hadn't even read what the assignment was yet. I really should have started that by then.

"Just a project. Nothing important." I said, turning my head and looking away with boredom.

"Projects are important!" Amu insisted, leaning over the table and staring at me.

I found it hard continue looking away from the pinkette, so I gazed back at her with a slight smirk. "Alright, alright. Whatever you say. I'll text my partner a time we can work on it this week." I took my phone out then glanced at the girl in front of me again. "What day do you not need tutoring?"

"Well I'm going over to Rima's on Wednesday..."

I flipped my phone open, texting Kukai because I refused to exchange numbers with that dumb redhead. _"Could you tell Saaya we can work on our project after school on Wednesday in the library?"_

Moments later, I received a reply. _"Sorry dude, I'm a little busy right now. I'm with Utau! You know, the hot one! Heheheheeee Tell her yourself."_

I rolled my eyes at his text, annoyed. He acted like a stupid schoolgirl swooning over the guy she liked. What ever happened to their pact about not falling in love?

"What'd they say?" Amu asked curiously.

"I couldn't get a hold of her, so I'll just tell her in class." I said nonchalantly, putting my phone away.

"O-Oh..." Amu looked...different. Her expression had changed, but I couldn't figure out why and by the look on her face, she couldn't figure it out either.

I glanced over to the clock hanging on the girl's room wall, surprised to find it only be 4pm. Without realizing why, I said "Let's take a break and go do something." I stood up, then grinned down at the pinkette who was still sitting.

A soft blush appeared on the girl's cheeks and she, too, stood up. "W-What are we going to do?"

"Ice cream's on me." I said with my infamous crooked smile.

**Amu's P.O.V.**

"So many flavors!" I stared at the options, quickly trying to decided on one. But how could anyone only decided on one!? "Chocolate? No, no... cookie dough. Or maybe peppermint? But what about..."

Ikuto's laughing interrupted me, making me turn and glare at him. I could feel the heat radiating off my face, which made me even more embarrassed. Why was it I always had to seem so weird when we were together? Why couldn't I have been my cool and spicy self that I used when it came to other boys? Why did I have to blush so much!?

I suddenly remembered what Rima had told me about how your pupils dilate if you see the person you like. Wait, why did that just pop into my mind? I found myself gazing into Ikuto's eyes, studying them. Were his pupils bigger than before?

...Why did I care?

I took a breath and tried to forget about it. After all, that fact is probably fake.

"A-Aren't you conflicted about flavors too?"

"Nah, I always get chocolate."

I scowled at him. How could everything seem so easy to him? Sighing with defeat, I looked back at the options and tried to pick something simple. This, however, was just as difficult.

"Ikuto-kuuun !"

I turned my head to the direction of the voice, wondering who it was who had called out Ikuto's name so familiarly. Confused, I looked to see that some girl with red, curly hair who I had never seen before was hanging onto Ikuto's arm. She pressed her whole body against him, her million dollar smile beaming up at the bluenette. She was gorgeous and she seemed to know exactly how to use makeup, for she wore a lot of it. Without thinking, my gaze went to her green eyes and I had to bite my tongue so I wouldn't gasp when I saw her pupils grow bigger as she stared up at Ikuto.

"I'm so happy we ran into each other! Ikuto-kun, when can we work on our project together? Hopefully soon..." The girl pouted, tugging softly on Ikuto's arm.

My stomach dropped, and I stared at the girl with...I couldn't explain what the feeling was. Disappointment? Why would I be disappointed? Because she liked Ikuto? No, I wouldn't be disappointed because of that. Plus, I don't even know if the pupil thing is real.

My chest tightened, but not the usual way it did which made me feel good, but in a way that hurt. "S-She's your partner, I-Ikuto?" I didn't know why I was stuttering so much. For some reason, I didn't like that girl.

"...Yeah." Ikuto said unenthusiastically; the complete opposite of his pretty partner. She seemed to be so excited just to be around the boy. After an awkward moment passed, Ikuto turned to the redhead. "We can work on the project on Wednesday after school in the library."

The girl beamed for the second time, gazing up at Ikuto. "Really? That's great!" She giggled with happiness and clasped Ikuto's hand between her own. "I'll see you on Wednesday then, Ikuto-kun!" She stood on her tiptoes and planted a soft kiss on his cheek, then let out another girlish giggle before turning and skipping back to her group of friends at the other end of the ice cream parlor.

I could tell Ikuto was annoyed by the expression on his face but for some odd reason, I felt as if I was even more annoyed than him.

**~Chapter End~**

I'm sooooo sorry guys! I didn't mean for this update to be this late... I was away for a week and I couldn't write this chapter, and when I got back I felt like I needed to update a different one of my stories more than this one so I'm this happened to be so late. :( Forgive me! Dx

But anyway, I really hope you liked this chapter. And for those of you who want more fluffiness, I'll definitely provide that soon. Patience is virtue :3 Please review and tell me how you liked this chapter! :)

~AmuletFortune98


	11. Secret (Not So) Fake Admirer

**I do not own Shugo Chara or any of the characters.**

**Ikuto's P.O.V.**

I peeked from around the corner as Amu grabbed a couple books from her locker for her last class of the day, then closed it's door. She took a breath and turned around, running to catch up with her friend, that Mashiro Rima. She was talking to a boy with purple hair as Amu met up with them, then they all walked through the hallway to their last class. Quickly so I wouldn't be late for class, I crept out from where I was hiding around the corner and made my way with stealth to the pinkette's locker as I did every day.

I tugged the locker open, grateful that it didn't have a lock, and placed my latest love letter inside the tin box. I then pulled out some chocolates from my bag that had strawberry in them and tucked them inside the locker as well. I had gotten up early that morning to buy them when I first got the idea late the night before. She had picked strawberry ice cream at the ice cream parlor last night, so I assumed she liked that flavor.

But.. ever since Saaya had appeared that night, Amu seemed distant. I couldn't figure out why, but her gaze didn't seem as warm as before. Of course, she still seemed to have a fun time with me and I was happy that she did. For some odd reason, I couldn't stop getting the feeling of wanting to please the pink-haired girl and every time I saw that familiar, cute smile, I wanted to protect her. I wanted to protect that smile.

"Ikuto-kuun, isn't that the locker of that girl you were with last night? What are you doing?"

The familiar voice of the redhead from behind me destroyed my train of thought and I whipped my head around to meet my gaze with her's along with Kukai's who was standing behind her.

I look at her with annoyance and close the locker behind me. "I'm giving Amu love letters. I'm her secret admirer." I say simply, as if I don't have a care in the world. My motive for saying this, of course, was to try and get her to stop hanging all over me and following me everywhere. I was getting a little too irritated.

Saaya looked hurt; incredibly hurt. Her eyes were full of jealousy as she stared at me. "L-Love letters!?"

Kukai let out a dry chuckle, placing a hand on the panicking girl's shoulder. "Don't worry, Saaya-chan. They're only fake love letters and Ikuto's only a secret _fake_ admirer." I glared at Kukai's huge mouth and he just laughed, having to have caught on to what I was trying to do. "He's leading that Amu girl on. Isn't that hilarious?"

Saaya's hurt expression immediately cleared from her face at the "good" news. "Oh that's brilliant!" She let out loud laughter. "I never liked that Amu girl, anyway! No wonder why you were with her last night. You're trying to lead her on! Oh Ikuto-kuun, you're so clever!" Saaya exclaimed with a wide grin on her face.

I stared at the two who where doubling over in helpless laughter. I couldn't figure out why, but something about it made me really annoyed. I narrowed my eyes at them and stuck my hands in my pockets, beginning to walk by them to make my way to my last class. As I passed the redhead, I gave her a warning glare muttering, "Don't tell anyone about this, alright?"

Saaya blinked with confusion for a moment, then nodded innocently with a smile. I narrowed my eyes again, praying she wouldn't so much as make a peep about it as I walked through the hallway.

**xxx**

"Ikuto... Ikuto..?" My eyes finally blinked open as I heard a sweet voice prodding me out of my sleep. Delicate hands gently nudged my shoulder and I forced myself to lift my head from the surprisingly comfortable table. I quickly rubbed the sleep from my eyes as the image of the pinkette came into focus.

"You woke up." She muttered, smiling sweetly.

I blinked at her, suddenly speechless. Had I... fallen asleep during our study session?

"You must have dozed off when I went to get some snacks. Are you tired? You can lay down in my bed for a little while if you want." Amu said, her honey-colored orbs concerned.

I continued to stare at the girl hovering above me, confused as to why I couldn't reply to her. Something.. I was shocked about something.

Realization?

"You look tired. Were you able to sleep at all last night? Here.." Amu tugged on my arm, helping me so that I was standing up. She held onto my arm and brought me to her bed, sitting me down.

I had never woken up to Amu before... but why was I thinking that at a time like this?

The pinkette smiled as she looked at me and I became conscious of my heartbeat suddenly. She must have thought my face looked red because she blinked with worry and placed a hand on my forehead. "You're a little warm.. You're not sick are you?"

"N-No.." I finally managed, wondering why my voice had cracked. It was probably because I had just woken up, so I cleared my throat.

"Oh!" Amu seemed to have remembered something. "I have something that might make you feel better." The pinkette turned around and walked over to her school bag. For the first time, I became aware of Amu's toned body. I had never realized it before, but she was very skinny and cute and had good proportions, even if she was lacking a bit chest-wise.

Amu reached into a pocket of her bag, pulling out a couple familiar looking chocolates. She returned to standing in front of me and handed me one of the chocolates. "They have strawberry in them. They're very good. I think you'll like it! Eh.. it may be a little melted, but that's just because it was in my bag since school ended."

I took the chocolate in my hand with a soft smirk, looking up at her. "In your bag since school ended? I don't recall us stopping at any convenience stores on the way here."

Amu began to blush, her gaze fixed to the ground in embarrassment. "T-That's because... s-someone gave them to me."

I admired her red cheeks with a grin on my face. Once I caught myself staring, I quickly tried to say something witty. "Hm, you always seem to have stuff given to you. Chocolates, letters... Do you perhaps have a secret admirer?"

Amu stared at me in utter shock, her face turning a dark shade of red. "H-How did you..."

"Intuition." I smiled at her and she continued to stare at me. _Smile..._ I thought to myself as I looked at her standing in front of me. _I want to see your beautiful smile..._ My smile faded as I concentrated on her face. I needed her to smile. I needed her to smile because I knew I would realize something if she did.

"I guess you really are smart, Ikuto." Amu said, a smile creeping onto her flushed face.

And then I was certain.

I was in love with Hinamori Amu.

**~Chapter End~**

Yaaay realization! ^^ Don't you guys just love it when realization happens in fanfictions? I know I do. ^u^ Heck, I was blushing as I wrote this. I tried to make it a bit more fluffy this time but now that Ikuto has realized his feelings, things will be getting more interesting, and definitely more fluffy!

Don't forget to review! :3

~AmuletFortune98


	12. Secret Wooing

**I do not own Shugo Chara or any of the characters.**

**Amu's P.O.V.**

_Here it is. The moment I've been waiting for all semester. The moment where my final exams are handed back to me._

Ikuto had helped me all throughout the school year, explaining formulas, thinking up practice tests, and helping me to understand certain subjects. All I wanted was to find good grades on my finals so I could show them to him and thank him for all he's done.

"Hinamori Amu."

"Yes!" I jumped from my seat as Sensei called my name to receive my graded tests, then walked toward the front of the classroom. Sensei handed me a pile of papers and flashed me a smile, reassurance filling my body. I quickly took the stack and hurried back to my seat, eager to discover my grades. Filling through the papers, I looked desperately for the red marker Sensei always graded with.

History: A

Science: B-

Japanese: A-

English: B-

Math: B+

I stareded at the grades in awe, blinking with disbelief. No C's? Better yet, no F's!? This was awesome!

I whipped my head around and gazed in the direction of my blue-haired tutor, smiling widely. He was grinning back at me, making my while body heat up with warmth and happiness.

As soon as the bell rang for school dismissal, I hopped out of my seat with glee and rushed over to my smirking classmate. "Ikuto!" I exclaimed with excitement, hugging my papers protectively. "Look!" I turned the grades toward him, showing off how much his tutoring helped me come this far.

He glanced at the paper and his crooked smile appeared, then his shadowed blue eyes darted toward mine. "Congratulations."

"It's all thanks to you, Ikuto. Is there some way I could repay you?" I asked desperately, wanting to know if there was a way I could compensate for his amazing help.

"Hm.. I can't think of anything at the moment, but I'll figure something out eventually." He grinned, turned, and walked out of the now almost empty classroom.

I tilted my head with confusion. I had assumed he would think of something right away, but I hadn't thought he would consider possible things I could do for him and then get back to me another time. Was he planning on making me do something...extreme? No, Ikuto wasn't that kind of a person. Plus, I owed him. If he ever needed help, I would offer myself.

Smiling to myself, I practically skipped to my locker, where Rima was waiting for me. An eager-looking Nagi was standing behind her, smiling at me.

"Hello, Amu-chan." He said, waving.

"Hi, Nagi-kun! Are you and Rima doing something together today?" I asked as a bashful Rima turned away.

"Yes, actually! We're going to grab a bite to eat, would you like to join us?" Nagi said cheerfully. Rima looked surprised, then stomped her foot down on the purple-haired boy's foot and gaining a pain-filled expression from him.

"Hmph!" Rima crossed her arms and looked away stubbornly.

I had to stifle a laugh as I looked at the couple and turned to face my locker. "That's alright, I wouldn't want to intrude on your date." I smiled at Rima, who was blushing again. I could tell Rima wanted to be alone with Nagi, so I decided I wouldn't interfere. Plus, I'd probably feel like a third-wheel if I went, anyway.

"Alright, I'll see you later Amu-chan!" Nagi smiled and snaked his fingers between Rima's, her face only growing more pink. "Shall we?" He asked her and she nodded, probably too embarrassed to use her voice. Nagi lead the way out, Rima's legs shuffling a little faster than his in order to keep the same pace.

Rima was so cute when it came to Nagi. I'm glad they got together after such a long time.

I found myself blushing as I found another letter tucked neatly inside my locker. I smiled and opened it, becoming used to the warm feeling that settled in my chest when I saw the envelope each day.

_Beautiful Amu,_

_You are certainly a bright girl who I have eyes only for. Each one of my senses is there for one sole reason; to see my gorgeous Amu, to hear her sweet voice, to touch her soft skin, to smell her lovely aroma, and hopefully one day to taste her perfect lips, which I can only imagine the taste right now. I'm absolutely positive my little strawberry did well on her finals._

_Love, your secret admirer_

I blushed as I read the letter, admiring the wonderful slanted cursive penmanship. The handwriting seemed a bit rushed, but I payed no mind to that and slipped the note in my reserved pocket with a smile.

Now that I was done worrying about finals, I had one mission; to find out who my secret admirer was.

**Ikuto's P.O.V.**

"Ikuto-kuun! We got an A on our calculus project!" Saaya squealed with excitement, me backing into my locker so she wouldn't come any closer. I stared at her with annoyance and squirmed away from her.

"Whatever."

Saaya pouted and pounced on me, wrapping her arms around my arm from behind. "This means we work together great!" She said happily, squeezing my arm tightly. I rolled my eyes and tried to ignore her as I walked toward Kukai's locker.

Thankfully, Saaya and I had finished working on our project in one day, so I didn't have to see her any other days. I worked extremely hard at the library, ignoring her as she practically threw herself on me multiple times. No matter how close she thought we were, I payed no attention and focused on the project, thus the reason we got an A.

"Yo!" Kukai waved as I walked up to him, Saaya trailing behind me. "Woah, you guys getting serious or something?" He asked, commenting on the fact that Saaya was still holding onto me.

"Hell no!" I exclaimed, causing Saaya to gasp with hurt. I only had eyes for one girl, the girl I wrote love letters to every day. Instead of them being fake now, they were my real feelings. I couldn't let Kukai know that though, or he would flip out on me.

"B-But Iku-"

"Let go of me, please." I said to Saaya, as calmly as I could muster. She pouted and finally released me from her grasp, looking away.

"W-Whatever.. I have a friend who's waiting for me anyway!" She said with halfhearted confidence and walked off.

"Thank god.." I muttered and Kukai chuckled.

"Geez, you really hate her, huh?"

"You have no idea."

"Why is it that you hate her so much?" He asked, knowing well enough how much his childhood friend had a crush on me.

"She annoys the hell out of me, that's why." I said simply, leaning against the wall.

"Are you sure that's the only reason?" Kukai asked, his expression suddenly more serious.

"Of course, what other reason would there be?" I asked, confused as to why Kukai would be asking.

"No other reason, just wondering." Kukai said and looked around. "Ah!" He exclaimed suddenly and I glanced in the direction he was looking. "There's Utau-chan! I better go over there and talk to her!" He smiled mischievously and dashed to the blonde. He smiled and started a conversation that the girl didn't exactly seem the most interested in.

_Huh, good luck Kukai. While you try to woo that girl of yours, I'll try to woo mine. _

And with that, I smirked, turned around, and headed in the direction of a certain pink-haired girl's locker.

**~Chapter End~**

Heh, this was kinda a lame chapter but I needed some filler for the moment. I've figured out how this story will play out, but it might not be for a while longer! Since you guys seem to love fluff chapters so much, I'll try my best to incorporate them in as much as possible because trust me, I love writing them too. ^/^ I really appreciate your constant support and reviews! More fluffy chapters to come soon!

~Amulet Fortune98


	13. Secret Charm

Hehe, before I write this chapter I just wanna say something. There really is no way to contact guests privately so I'm going to have to do it here.

blu2012, thank you for always correcting me on my mistakes, but yes I did intend to write it that way. I wanted it to sound like he only has eyes for Amu, not he's the only boy who has eyes for Amu, so I thought 'who I have eyes only for' would sound better. But that's just my own opinion. ^^ And yes, I accidentally wrote payed instead of paid, but my computer didn't tell me it was spelled wrong so when I was proof-reading, it just slipped right by me. I also understand what you mean about It Was A Mistake, Right? and I realize I screwed up there too. I had forgotten about their kisses in the first and fourth chapters so I fixed that part in chapter 6, but I don't believe they ever made out in a movie theater... Perhaps you're thinking about my other story, Overnight? And yes, in chapter 6 I wrote that Kukai and Saaya are childhood friends ^u^

Sorry if it seems like I'm angry, I just always get a little annoyed when people correct me. But it's okay, because you helped me! Thank you :3

And now, on with the next chapter!

**I do not own Shugo Chara or any of the characters.**

**Ikuto's P.O.V.**

"Hey Utau-chan, so you know summer break is coming soon and I was wondering, do you want to maybe go see a movie or something?" Kukai asked eagerly, his nervousness showing up clearly on his face.

"Not really." She said softly, seeming to not care in the slightest. Kukai looked disheartened and breathed a long sigh. Utau definitely had a hard shell to crack. "However," Utau paused and glanced across the lunch table to where I was sitting. "If he's going, I might consider it." The blonde closed her eyes as she took a sip of juice.

Kukai shot me a warning glare and I chuckled. I hadn't done anything, I was just simply sitting and eating my lunch. Utau just happened to take interest in me. Kukai slid on the bench until he was right next to me, leaning in close to whisper in my ear.

"Dude, I hate the fact that she just said that, but you have to come. Otherwise, Utau and I will never be able to see each other during break!" He muttered then slid back to his original seat across from the calm blond who seemed to pay no attention to the exchange between Kukai and I.

I sighed with annoyance and swallowed some mashed potatoes. "Fine, I'll go to the movies. Will you go now, Utau?"

A small smile crept onto the blonde's cheeks as she glanced at me. "Alright." She then returned to her blank expression and continued eating. Kukai grinned at me, holding up his hand with a thumb's up.

"Maybe we could invite a bunch of people!" I assumed Kukai was only suggesting this so Utau wouldn't only follow me around. "Ikuto, how about you invite some of your friends?" He winked and I wondered what he meant. "Ah, and Saaya could come too." I groaned with annoyance and Kukai just laughed.

Kukai startled rambling on about the details of the plan and I tuned him out, deciding to just ask him about it later. I pushed my lunch away from me, having eaten enough, and rested my head on my hand. I glanced around the cafeteria, my gaze stopping on a certain pinkette. She was talking to that Rima girl and her boyfriend, and she soon erupted in a giggle. _Cute._

"What do you think, Ikuto?"

Kukai's question caused me to pull my gaze from the girl and look back at him. "About what?"

"You weren't listening? I just asked if you thought seeing that new scary movie would be a good choice." He grinned and I could tell the only reason he picked the scary movie was to be able to comfort Utau when she got scared. _God, Kukai and his lame ways to pick up a girl._

"Sure, that's fine." I said nonchalantly, my gaze finding it's way over to Amu again.

**xxx**

"Isn't it just the best idea ever?" Kukai asked, a large grin covering most of his face. _He gets way too excited, sometimes._

"Yeah, sure."

"Hey, you should invite that Amu girl. And maybe that Rima girl and her boyfriend!" Kukai said, glancing at me.

I looked at him with uncertainty. "Why..?"

"Because it could be fun! It's also a good way to get her to fall for you. Then it will be even more hilarious when you eventually show yourself as her secret admirer, but tell her it was all just a scam!" Kukai started laughing and I glared at him.

_Kukai's way too heartless. Then again, that's how I started out too before I got close to Amu.. Maybe he'll stop being such a jerk when he falls in love too. Hopefully he falls for Utau soon and it isn't just a huge crush._

"Alright, fine. I'll invite Amu and her friends."

_I'll definitely get you to fall for me, Amu. And I won't hurt you, either._

**Amu's P.O.V.**

"A movie?" I tilted my head to the side, glancing up at Ikuto with curiosity. Suddenly, realization hit me and I found myself stuttering, "L-Like a d-date!?"

Ikuto chuckled and shook his head. "No, not a date. Well, if you want it to be one, I suppose-"

"No!" I interrupted him, my flushed face showing my embarrassment.

"Ha ha, alright fine. But my friend Kukai wants to get a bunch of people together to see a movie over break. You could invite that Rima girl you're friends will. And her boyfriend."

"Oh, that sounds fun!" I smiled, closing my locker. "Okay, I'll go. Will you text me the details?"

"Sure." Ikuto smirked and started to walk past me. "It's a date, strawberry."

I blushed furiously and shook my head with nervousness. _H-He always makes me feel so embarrassed._ I tried to tame my blush when I thought I remembered something. _Hasn't someone else called me strawberry before?_

Thinking I knew who it was, I grabbed the unopened envelope in my locker and dashed out of the door to my house. As soon as I got there, I rushed up the stairs and into my bedroom and got out the little box that was under my bed that contained all my love letters so no one would find them. I opened it and pulled out the most recent one, blinking with shock as I read my secret admirer's handwriting and noticed that the mystery person called me strawberry.

_Is it... a coincidence?_

Of course it is! There was no way Ikuto was my secret admirer. Just no way!

Deciding to let the idea go so I didn't think too deeply into it, I glanced inside my love-filled box. My gaze caught on the red origami rose my secret admirer gave me a while back and I felt my cheeks redden.

Oh yeah, Ikuto commented on this rose once. He said he wanted me to make one for me as a reward for being such a great tutor... That would be a way to repay him! I smiled and dashed to my computer, searching for a website that would teach me how to make roses exactly the same way my admirer had made them.

After much trial and error, I decided to allow myself a break and turned toward the opened box on the floor. Beside it lay a completely unopened, forgotten envelope. I gasped and rushed over to it, not believing I had forgotten about it.

I ran my finger along the back of it to unseal it, noticing how it was a bit more bulky at the bottom than usual, as if it contained something other than just paper. Curious, I quickly pulled the letter out and looked inside the envelope. Inside lay a beautiful charm bracelet, the only charm on it being a dark blue cat. I stared at it with admiration, thinking that it reminded me of something, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Happily, I slipped the chain on over my wrist and smiled, picking up the unread letter and unfolding it.

_Cutest Amu,_

_I've fallen in love with you and there's absolutely no way around it. It's probably odd coming from what you assume to be a complete stranger. However, I want you to know how much I care about you. Here is a gift which I hope you cherish for the sake of me, someone you have yet to figure out the identity of._

_Love, your secret admirer._

Smiling stupidly to myself, I placed the letter neatly in the box and closed it, pushing it under my bed. I admired the gift around my wrist, then went back to the computer to continue my attempt on folding an origami rose for Ikuto.

**~Chapter End~**

Muaaahaha this chapter is longer~! Hehe :) Yaay future plans for Amuto moments are popping into my head and I'm practically squealing like the dumb fangirl I am. Anyways, how'd you all like this chapter? Don't forget to review! ^u^

~AmuletFortune98


	14. Secret Horror

**I do not own Shugo Chara or any of the characters.**

**Amu's P.O.V.**

"Summer's finally here!" I exclaim from the balcony of my room, not caring if anyone heard me. I was too excited to be bothered. Better yet, I was going to the movies tomorrow with a bunch of my friends, and also some of Ikuto's friends. I hadn't seen Ikuto at all since since school ended because he hadn't come over for tutoring anymore. Hell, I hadn't seen him since before that. I was starting to feel a bit lonely at home without him. He was great company, and always knew the right things to say. When he wasn't teasing me, at least.

_Maybe I should invite Rima over at some point? No, she's probably going to spend a lot of time with Nagi this summer._

Well that didn't matter because tomorrow was going to be a great time to hang out with everyone. "Hm, I wonder what movie we're seeing..." I pondered out loud as I leaned over the railing on the balcony.

**xxx**

"A-A horror film!?" I exclaimed, taking a step back in shock and fear. I was absolutely _terrified _of scary movies, but I couldn't say that out loud. Plus, everyone seemed to be staring at me.

We had all met up in front of the movie theater. Even so, Ikuto's friend Kukai, who I had seen him hang around with a couple times before, said they were still waiting on a couple more people. Me, Rima, Nagi, Kukai, Ikuto were all already there.

I bit my lip, still thinking about the fact that we were going to see a horror movie. I grabbed Ikuto's sleeve and pulled him over to me, who seemed to be a bit surprised by my actions. "I-I told you to text me the details, b-but you never told me we were seeing a s-scary movie!" I whisper-yelled, looking at him in a panic.

Ikuto just smirked. "I didn't think it was an important detail. What, are you scared?" He grinned mischievously.

"W-What!? O-Of course not!" I countered, crossing my arms stubbornly. I couldn't let him figure out how scared I was or he'd probably tease me to no extent.

"Whatever you say." He chuckled and returned to the group. Another person seemed to join the group; a pretty blonde girl who had her long hair pulled up into twin tails on either side of her head. Kukai seemed to be all over her, but she didn't seem to notice him. I vaguely recall her being in my study hall, but I couldn't quite remember her name. Kukai, however, helped me jog my memory.

"Utau-chan, you made it!" He said happily, rushing toward her. The girl just nodded, then checked her phone. I took a breath and looked at the movies the theater was showing.

"Oh, how about we go see this animated movie! It looks really cute and good. Oh! Or this one about dogs... it looks like it has a big adventure! Oh why not this action movie?" I began saying loud enough for the whole group to hear me. My goal was to get them all to want to see something other than the scary movie.

"Those all look good too," Ikuto said with a smirk, then motioned to the poster of the scary movie we were going to see. "But this looks even better, don't you think?" He grinned evilly.

"I-I g-guess..." I stuttered, silently cursing him.

"I'm glad you think the way I do." He flashed me his crooked smile and I blushed softly, looking away and crossing my arms.

I noticed Ikuto was staring at me and I found myself looking back at him. "W-What is it...?" I blinked with confusion as I began to squirm under his gaze.

He took a step toward me and heat rose to my face, making me nervous. He slowly reached out and grabbed my hand gently, pulling it up to him. I stared, almost hypnotized, and wondered what he was doing.

"That's... a very nice bracelet." Ikuto said, the smirk returning to his expression.

"E-Eh? O-Oh, right..." I found myself blushing. "S-Someone gave it to me..." He let go of my hand and I smiled, admiring the bracelet.

"Your secret admirer, perhaps?" He asked, a knowing grin on his face.

I blushed a darker shade, nodding softly. Ikuto had already guessed I had a secret admirer a while back. Geez, he really was smart.

"Ikuto-kuun, I'm here!" A familiar looking redhead suddenly jumped over to Ikuto, holding onto his arm firmly. She smiled her perfect smile, then noticed me standing there. I was shocked as she shot me a glare, then nuzzled Ikuto's arm. Ikuto rolled his eyes with irritation and I wondered just what grudge she could have against me.

"Fashionably late, I'd assume." I heard Rima mutter to Nagi with annoyance and I couldn't help but giggle softly.

"Alright, we should go in now before we miss the movie!" Kukai said and lead the group inside. After buying all the tickets, we made our way inside the theater.

**Ikuto's P.O.V.**

As we filed in the last row of the theater, I made it so I was sitting next to Amu. Unfortunately, Saaya happened to be sitting on my other side. Utau sat next to Kukai, who sat next to Saaya who sat next to me. On my other side was Amu, who was followed by Rima and Nagi on the end. Perfect, all except for the Saaya part. I wished Kukai hadn't invited her.

As the movie started, I felt Saaya hug my arm tightly. I shot her an annoyed glare and removed her arms. _She better not do that during the movie. If she's scared, she should just hold onto Kukai because during this movie, I'm reserved for Amu._

Wanting to make sure Amu would cling to me and not Rima, I glanced over the pinkette's head and looked at her friend. She seemed to be sitting awfully close to her boyfriend, so there shouldn't have been a problem as to who Amu went to for comfort. Smirking, I leaned back and watched as the beginning credits ended and the actual movie began.

Once scary things started to happen, both Saaya and Amu clung tightly to my arms. My right side was happy, but my left was not. I tried to squirm my left arm out of Saaya's grasp but it was too tight. Eventually, I gave up and only payed attention to Amu. Unlike Saaya, who was just holding onto me and watching the movie, Amu was also holding on but trembling softly and constantly averting her eyes from the screen to try and get distracted by something other than what was going on in the movie.

I looked down at Amu in concern, wanting to comfort her more. I couldn't, however, due to my left arm being temporarily unable to use. I shot a glare at the redhead for a second time, but she didn't seem to notice because she was sucked into the movie. _If she's so intrigued, then why is she holding onto me so tightly as if she was scared?_

Amu, however, was truly scared. As soon as the movie hit it's climax and multiple horrific things started to happen, the pinkette tightened her grasp on me and buried her head in my shirt, squealing with fear every so often when there was a loud noise.

Amu didn't seem to be bothered by the fact she was seeking comfort in me(quite romantically too, if I might add). Instead, she just needed a distraction from the movie.

I instantly felt bad. I went along with the idea of the scary movie for my own selfish desires. I wanted to have Amu hang onto me when she got scared, but I didn't know she'd be so terrified and miserable. I should have taken Amu to see a different movie instead, like one of those other movies she was mentioning outside the theater. I took a deep breath and leaned down to Amu slightly.

"I'll be alright, everything is fake. It's almost over..." I muttered reassuringly in her ear. In response, she just nodded against my shirt and I smiled softly.

To mine and Amu's relief, I'm sure, the movie finally came to an end. Saaya's deathly grasp finally loosened and she let go, causing me to sigh with thankfulness. Amu continued to hold me, though. Grinning, I leaned over and muttered in her ear.

"It's over, Amu."

"H-Huh?" Amu's face emerged from my sleeve, where it had been for almost the entire movie, and looked up at me. Her honey-colored eyes were full of fear and her forehead was creased with worry and horror. With my other arm finally free, I reached over to her and ran my finger across the crease on her forehead gently, my gaze full of concern. A blush formed on her formally pale cheeks and she stared at me.

"Come on, lovebirds. We're leaving!" Rima teased as she and Nagi stood up, along with Utau, Kukai, and Saaya on my other side.

Gasping with embarrassment, Amu quickly let go and pulled away from me, standing up and following her friend. I caught a glimpse of how red her skin had turned, even in the dim lighting of the movie theater as the credits rolled on. I smirked and stood up as well, following her. I was almost positive both Saaya and Amu had left red marks on my arm, but I wasn't complaining. Well, for my _left _arm I was.

"That movie was awesome! So what should we do now?" Kukai asked as soon as we had all filed out of the theater. "There's a roman shop just around the corner if anyone wants to go."

"I have to go, Daddy's waiting for me outside." Saaya said, then turned to me with a smile. "Bye bye, Ikuto-kuun!" She said cheerfully and pecked my cheek before turning around and running to a car that was waiting outside the theater. I groaned with annoyance and wiped my cheek with disgust.

"Actually, Rima and I made reservations at a different restaurant. Looks like we'll see you guys later!" Nagi said with a smile as him and a blushing Rima walked hand in hand outside of the theater.

"Did you say...ramen?"

I turned to look in the direction of the voice. Utau was staring at Kukai with determination, something hidden in the depth of her gaze. Eagerness, perhaps?

"Yeah! There's a ramen eating contest, too!" Kukai said, smiling at the girl. He seemed overjoyed to have caught her attention. I had glanced in their direction throughout the movie, yet Utau didn't look scared in the slightest. I had also noticed how Kukai had slumped back in his seat with disappointment, as well.

"You're on!" Utau challenged and Kukai stared at her with surprise. He then grinned widely.

"Alright!" He led the way out, Utau following directly behind him.

"Looks like it's just you and me, Amu." I said smirking at her. She blushed as she looked back at me.

"U-Um.. there's a river near my house. D-Do you want to go?" Amu asked nervously and I had to bite back my urge to smile widely.

"Of course I'll go on a date with you." I teased, grinning.

"I-I-It's n-not a d-date!" She stuttered, her entire face on fire.

I just chuckled. "Yes, I want to go to the river." I smiled and Amu continued to blush, turning around and leading the way out.

**~Chapter End~**

Teeehehehe fluffiness! ^u^ I looove writing it, muahahaha! And yes, the chapters do seem to be getting longer. :3 Anyways, tell me what you thought in your reviews! More fluffiness to come, hopefully.

~Amuletfortune98


	15. Secret Intuition

**I do not own Shugo Chara or any of the characters.**

**Ikuto's P.O.V.**

We sat; Amu staring out at the river's rushing water, and me staring at none other than the girl I recently discovered I was in love with. Now that I came to think about it, the consequence of getting close to this beautiful girl being me falling in love with her, it seemed a bit inevitable. I said it from the start; this pinkette caught my eye. She caught my eye not only because of her stunning and unusually pink hair, but also because deep down I always had the feeling that she was special. It seemed ridiculous now, however, after I had done so much with the plain intention of messing with her feelings, but that didn't matter anymore because the love letters were real now.

"Amu.." I found myself muttering without giving what I wanted to say any thought.

The girl next to me turned her head, golden orbs fixing on me. The girl blinked with innocence, completely oblivious to my true feelings. "Yes?"

I kept my gaze, unwavering. A mask still hid my true self, my expression coming off as cool. "...Nevermind." I finally broke eye contact and watched the river flow endlessly. My fingers tangled themselves in the grass below and tugged, pulling up some dirt as well.

There was silence that followed.

As the silence soon became unbearable, Amu gasped and reached into her bag saying, "That's right!" I found myself looking back at her, wondering what she was fishing out of her bag. Finally, the pinkette pulled out what seemed to be a crumpled piece of red paper and held it out to me, biting her lip. Upon closer inspection, the paper was actually folded to resemble a rose. "A-A while back you saw me with an origami rose..," the girl began, and I looked back into her honey-colored irises, "a-and you said you would like it if I made you one of them as a t-thank you for being my tutor..." Amu's cheeks were pink as she held out the gift, refusing to make eye contact.

I grinned at the attempted paper rose, then leaned closer to the girl. I placed my thumb and index finger on Amu's chin and tilted her head so she was looking directly at me. A smirk played across my face as her cheeks turned a darker red, almost the same shade as the rose she was holding. "I will gladly accept this as my reward." I muttered.

Seconds passed and our close distance from each other didn't falter. Suddenly after a gust of wind, the pinkette gasped and broke our long gaze, looking toward the water. "T-The rose!"

I blinked with confusion, then noticed that Amu's hand that used to be holding the small gift was empty. She stood up then ran toward the flowing water where the origami rose sat on a boulder in the center of the river. "Amu!" I called after her, getting up and rushing to her.

Amu stood cautiously on the bank of the river and reached forward, trying to grab the folded paper. She was paying more attention to grabbing the rose than to the risk she was taking by doing so.

"Amu, it's not safe!" I yelled, coming up behind her. As soon as I said that, however, Amu slipped on the muddy part of the bank and fell forward. I quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her back, wrapping my arms around her. Our balance was still very off, however, and we found ourselves falling into the water anyway. I held Amu close to me and took more of the fall, thankfully missing the rocks sticking out of the water.

"I-Ikuto!" The girl's sweet voice calling my name made the fact that we were both soaking wet in a cold river bearable. "A-Are you okay?" Amu asked looking up at me with concern.

"I'm fine, what about you? Are you hurt anywhere?" My eyes quickly grazed over her soaked body to check for bleeding or bruises and I was thankful to find to form of injury.

"I'm fine, too..." I noticed a faint blush on Amu's cheeks, suddenly realizing I was still holding her close to me. I quickly let go and looked away, warmth fizzing in the pit of my stomach and heating up my wet and cold body. Even though it was summer, the river didn't seem to get any warmer.

I grabbed a dry spot on the bank of the river and pulled myself out of the water, then turned and reached for Amu. "Come on."

Amu looked hesitant, but I couldn't figure out why. "B-But the rose..." She looked away and I followed her gaze to the boulder that used to have the origami rose sitting on top of it. Either the wind or the rushing water had probably carried it away.

"It's alright, just get out of the water so you don't catch a cold. Here," I held out my hand to her and she took it with slight reluctance. After successfully climbing out of the water, Amu looked up at me with a frown.

"It was my thank you gift to you..." Even though Amu was sad because of losing a gift meant for me, I still didn't enjoy seeing her face look disappointed. A smile or blush suited her much better.

"It's fine. Just knowing you're not hurt is enough for me. I'm sorry you lost something you worked so hard on." I smiled softly and found myself wrapping my arms around her again, pulling her into an embrace. Amu didn't hug back, but I could tell her face was as red as a tomato.

"H-How'd you know I worked hard on it?"

I let go of her and smirked at the pinkette. "It wasn't easy to fold it because your secret admirer folded the first one, right?"

Amu stared at me with shock that I had guessed, "How did you know?"

I chuckled softly, grinning at her. "Intuition."

Amu blinked with surprise, then looked down at the ground. After a moment, she looked back up at me with soft blush gracing her cheeks. "I-I'm sorry... You're all wet because of me. My house is right across the street, and I'm sure my dad would lend you some dry clothes."

**Amu's P.O.V.**

"Absolutely not!" My dad fumed, staring at Ikuto with a mixture of anger and hurt. He glanced in my direction then let his face fall into his hands. "How come you're always with my little Amu?"

"Oh don't listen to my husband, Ikuto-kun. Of course you can borrow some of his old clothes." Ikuto smiled at my mom politely, hugging the towel my mom had brought him tightly. My mom turned to my dad, frowning. "He's soaking wet and you're refusing to let him wear some of your old clothes? Amu-chan, go grab some of your father's clothes in his bottom drawer and give them to Ikuto-kun."

I nodded and glanced at Ikuto. He smirked and I quickly rushed into my parents' room, placing a hand on my cheek and realizing just how hot it was. I rifled through the bottom drawer of my dad's dresser and grabbed a long-sleeved white button-down shirt, then pulled out a pair of jeans; clothes I hadn't seen my dad wear in a long time. I refolded them neatly and brought them out to Ikuto while I saw my dad pouting in the corner of my eye.

"While you're here, why don't you stay for dinner Ikuto-kun?" Mom smiled happily, looking at Ikuto expectantly.

"I don't want to be a bother..."

"It's no bother at all!" My mom said, shushing my dad's protests.

"Iku-chan, stay for dinner!" My little sister tugged on Ikuto's wet shirt, frowning as if that would get him to agree.

"Alright, Ami-chan." Ikuto smiled at the young girl and ruffled her hair, Ami giggling with happiness.

"Ami, let Ikuto go change out of his wet clothes." I said and my younger sister waved to Ikuto then ran up the stairs.

After Ikuto and I had both changed into dry clothes, my mom threw our wet ones in the dryer and we waited for dinner to be ready in my room.

"So how come you wanted me to go to the river with you?" Ikuto asked with a smirk as we sat on my bedroom floor around the table.

"W-Well everyone else had left and... I-I still needed to give you the origami rose..." I blushed gently, looking away from him. I thought back to how Ikuto grabbed me and took most of the fall by hugging me close to him and I found my heartbeat quickening and becoming unsteady. I bit my lip and looked away, hoping my heartbeat would slow down.

"Ah I see. I guess I was the only one who thought it was a date." My gaze found it's way back to him and I blushed while he chuckled, leaning back.

"W-Why do you tease me like that so much?" I asked, completely flushed and embarrassed.

"Because," Ikuto leaned in, his face mere inches from mine. It seemed like it took him forever to continue until he finally said, "it's fun."

I stared at him, waiting for him to lean back again and laugh, but he never did. Instead, he kept our faces inches apart, gazing at me with a hint of something I couldn't name in his eyes. The heat rose to my face as he stayed in that position and my heartbeat became unsteady again. I couldn't figure out why Ikuto being so close was bothering me so much and causing my insides to churn with warm, surprisingly.

"Amu-chan, Ikuto-kun, dinner's ready!"

The sound of my mom's voice calling to us caused me to brake our seemingly everlasting gaze and I struggled to catch my breath from my rapid beating heart. I quickly stood up and turned away from Ikuto, walking toward the door.

"L-Let's g-go..."

**~Chapter End~**

I don't know why but I had writers block while typing this chapter... :/ And I planned out exactly how the chapter would turn out, but I couldn't put it into words for some reason. :P Well I hope you guys enjoyed it anyway! I keep thinking that my writing has gotten worse... do you think so? I just can't get focused, I guess. Anyway, I would love to read your reviews. Thanks!

~AmuletFortune98


	16. Secret Blushing

**I do not own Shugo Chara or any of the characters**

**Amu's P.O.V.**

I sat on my bed silently, staring at nothing in particular. My fingers clutched onto the blankets lightly, my grasp growing tighter each second my mind started thinking again.

My brain was going on strike. I couldn't concentrate on anything I was doing, so I just decided to sit still. My decision backfired, however, because sitting still just made my mind think about _him_ again.

I didn't understand it. Ever since last night I couldn't stop thinking about Ikuto. When I was called down to do my morning chores my parents commented on my flushed face, worried that I had a fever. But I didn't have a fever, I was sure, because fevers didn't feel that _good._

The feeling was warm, tingly, giddy. I couldn't help my toes from tapping on the carpet in my room as if they were dancing to their own happy tune. My hands often found their ways to my cheeks, feeling the warmth radiate off my skin. My heart would beat softly, then speed up when thoughts about Ikuto came back into my mind.

This, however, just made me confused.

Why was I feeling such strange things? I had to admit that I had felt them before when I was around Ikuto, but never when I wasn't around him. Was it normal? Why did my brain insist of reminding me about how embarrassed I was when Ikuto got close to me the previous night? I couldn't make sense of it.

I clutched the blankets tighter, trying to find something in my room with my eyes that would distract my mind from the blue-haired boy. This, however, didn't work. I was too used to how the posters were hung in my room, taped carelessly to the wall. I was too used to my bookshelf hugging the corner of my room, and I was too used to the way my bed sat against my wall. I needed something new to look at; something that would catch my interest.

Standing up, I rolled my sleeves up and grinned, deciding I would rearrange my room. I quickly got to work and took all my posters down. The dust that had formed in areas I hadn't payed much attention to in a while clogged my lungs, causing me to cough every so often. Even so, I continued my hard work.

I moved my bookcase to the other side of my room, tucking it neatly in a different corner, then moved my desk so it was where my bookcase used to be. I began hanging my posters back up in a different arrangement, trying to make it more interesting than it was before. Finally, I stared at my bed with exasperation. Deciding it would be too hard to move it by myself, I chose to just slide the bed so it was pointing in a different direction. With difficulty, I managed to move the bed horizontally against the wall and smiled at the result of my rearrangement. It definitely seemed new and more interesting; something my mind would take interest in.

My gaze slowly drifted down to a box that was now in plain site after moving my bed. The box was what contained all the letters and gifts from my secret admirer. Instantly, thoughts of Ikuto returned into my mind and I exhaled with irritation. _Why can't I stop thinking about him?_

Sighing, I kicked the box gently under my bed again and stared at my wrist. My charm bracelet jingled softly as I brought my hand up to my face, watching as the metal clinked against itself. Before I even noticed it, I smiled softly and my face continued to blush.

"Amu-chan~!" My mom's voice rang from downstairs, "I'm taking Ami-chan to her friend's house. Could you grab the mail while I'm gone?"

"Yes, Mom!" I called back, braking my gaze from my bracelet and trying to ignore the warmth in my chest.

As my mom's car left the driveway, I headed down the stairs and out of the front door to the mailbox. I pulled out the usual mail; newspapers, bills, and advertizements and closed the mailbox carelessly. As I turned to head back inside, I noticed an envelope fall from the pile of mail, dropping onto the green grass. I knelt down to pick up what I had dropped when I noticed familiar slanted handwriting on the front. I gasped softly and quickly picked up the letter, rushing into the house. I dropped all the mail on the counter except for the one envelope as I dashed through the kitchen and up the stairs, closing the door to my room behind me. I smiled at the envelope with beautiful cursive handwriting on the front reading "_Hinamori Amu_" and bit my lip with embarrassment. I sat on the floor next to the table and began opening the letter, being careful not to rip the paper. I gently pulled out the letter and began to read;

_Wonderful Amu,_

_I'm sorry you haven't received letters from me these past few days since summer started. I was trying to figure out a way to get these letters to you without you figuring out who I was until I realized I could just send them in the mail. Anyway, I love spending time with you and can't wait for more amazing encounters with you. It always makes me feel so good when you blush around me and I just adore your cute smile. I might have just figured this out recently, but I think I'm in love with you._

_Love, your secret admirer._

I stared at the letter and smiled, my cheeks turning slightly redder than before. Somebody was in love with me... It made me feel very flattered and adored, and I couldn't help but feel a bit happy about it.

Suddenly Ikuto filled my mind again and I frowned softly. There was no way Ikuto was in love with me. Definitely not. He always teased me and made fun of me. He wouldn't be my secret admirer.

I placed a hand against my chest, wondering why I suddenly felt a bit glum. Shaking my head I tucked the letter neatly back into the envelope when I noticed that something else was included inside as well. I opened the envelope a little bit wider and reached inside, pulling out a small metal charm. It was a red rose charm for my charm bracelet, and I smiled happily. Grabbing a pair of pliers, I attached the charm and slipped the updated bracelet onto my wrist again.

**Ikuto's P.O.V.**

"She totally likes me, dude!" Kukai's voice shouted with excitement in my ear and I pulled the phone away with annoyance. "She's no longer got her eyes on you, I swear! Thank god, too."

"And why does Utau like you so suddenly?" I asked, staring at my ceiling while lying on my back.

"Of course I won at the ramen eating contest, right? And then after she said she wanted a rematch another time so we exchanged numbers! Then I told her I'd buy her something to make up for winning and she agreed!" Kukai's voice seemed more enthusiastic each sentence. "So I bought her this purse she saw while walking through the shopping district."

"Heh, you think she likes you just because of that?" I chuckled softly, turning onto my side.

"You're just jealous cause she doesn't like you anymore. But you've got Saaya!

"That's not a good thing." I grumbled with annoyance, sitting up.

"Whatever. You know she's not gonna give up on you. Oh yeah, I completely forgot! How are things going with you and Amu?"

I blinked, staring at the wall. "...What?"

"You know, with the fake letters and stuff! Has she fallen for the fake secret admirer?" He chuckled on the other line.

"Oh.." My expression darkened slightly. "Yeah everything's fine. I started sending her letters in the mail since it's summer. I don't know if she's fallen for me-I mean the fake secret admirer or not yet."

"Ah I see. Well keep it up! I've been watching her too, you know, and she seems to have gotten brighter lately! I had a couple classes with her and she used to look so down, but now she's a lot happier! Ha, it's gonna be so funny when she finds out it was all a joke!"

I glared at the wall, clearing my throat. How could Kukai be so heartless? And she probably looked down before because she was struggling academically. But I tutored her so she was a lot more confident afterward. "Yeah whatever. I've gotta go now. Text Utau or something."

"I think I will!" Kukai stated happily. "Talk to ya later, man!"

I hung up first, tossing the phone next to me onto my pillow and continuing to glare. If I told Kukai that I had accidentally ended up falling in love with Amu for real than he would bug me to no end. It didn't matter if he knew or not, but it annoyed me when he talked about hurting Amu's feelings like that.

Trying to distract myself from my irritation, I grabbed my phone again and began to text a certain pinkette.

"_Are you doing anything tomorrow?"_

After a moment, my phone buzzed and I opened the reply from Amu. _"Not really, why?"_

"_You still owe me for being a great tutor cause the origami rose flew away. Come shopping with me."_

"_Shopping with you? I thought you said knowing I was alright was enough thanks for being a tutor!"_

"_Yeah but I changed my mind. Plus, I miss my strawberry already." _I grinned and closed my phone, tossing it to the side. I probably got her to blush, and smiled at the thought.

Tomorrow would be fun.

**~Chapter End~**

Prepare for fluff in the next chapter... BEWARE. That was a warning. Hahaha I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter even if it was late/not exactly any fluff. Haha I'll try to update soon! Thanks!

~AmuletFortune98


	17. Secret Date

**I do not own Shugo Chara or any of the characters.**

**Amu's P.O.V.**

"Ahh, why is there nothing for me to wear!?" I exclaimed as I ruffled through my closet, pulling skirts, dresses, and blouses out to examine. Nothing seemed to look good, when earlier that week I had felt proud of my wardrobe. _Why does everything feel so wrong? And why do I care so much about what clothes to wear? It's not like it's a date or anything, so there's nothing to be worried about._

I sat on my floor, staring into my closet with defeat. Nothing had caught my eye at all, so why should anything catch Ikuto's eye?

_I-It's not like I care if anything catches his eye, though._

My gaze slowly found it's way to my phone sitting about a foot away from me. I hesitated, then shook my head. I wanted to call Rima for advise, but she'd misunderstand and think I was going on a date. I didn't feel like hearing her teasing me over it, either. I sighed and looked back into my closet, once again searching for an outfit.

I finally decided on a red and black plaid dress with frills on the skirt and neckline and chose simple flip flops for shoes. I grabbed my white purse that went down to my hip and hung it on my shoulder then quickly brushed my hair and glanced in the mirror. I blinked, then took my phone and headed out of my room and down the stairs.

"I'm going out for the day. I won't be back too late!" I called to my parents as I quickly dashed out of the door just as my mom called her approval and I heard my dad suddenly panic, wondering if I was going to meet a boy. I laughed softly to myself and headed down the street to the shopping district where Ikuto said we'd meet.

As Ikuto came into view, I took a quick breath and walked toward him. Once he saw me, he flashed his famous smirk and turned. "You're late."

I blushed gently when I realized the time. "R-Right, s-sorry..."

"Well you're only here because I needed a second opinion and Kukai had plans." He said, glancing at me with a grin as he began to walk forward.

I hurried to his side and walked next to him. "Second opinion?"

"My violin concert is tomorrow and I'm supposed to wear a suit, but I don't have a black tie or bow tie."

"Violin concert..." I stared at him with surprise. "Ikuto, you play the violin?"

Ikuto chuckled softly and just nodded while walking with his hands stuffed in his pockets.

"I had no idea! Where is your concert? Maybe Rima, Nagi, and I could come see it!" I suggested with excitement, wanting to hear Ikuto play the violin.

"It's in the park tomorrow night at five. It's free, too." He said, looking around the shopping district for a certain store.

"Then we'll go see you!" I smiled and walked along beside him, having to take more steps than him to catch up with his longer strides. Ikuto just smirked as a reply, but I could tell he was happy someone wanted to come to his concert.

We stopped in front of a store that sold fancy clothes and went inside. My gaze instantly stopped on a gorgeous long silver dress with elegant white stripes on a mannequin, the fabric clinging to it's curves. "Wow.." I muttered softly and took a step toward it, only to find another mannequin wearing a short but fancy red dress with folds in the fabric over the chest and hip areas. I held my mouth open in awe as I stared at all the high-class outfits, running my fingers along the fabric of each dress.

"You look like you've never seen fancy clothes before." Ikuto with a smirk as he came up behind me, lightly tapping my chin up to close my gaping jaw. I blushed softly with embarrassment and shook my head.

"N-No, it's not that.. I-I've just never worn anything this nice before..." I said softly, looking away from him and distracting myself with more elegant clothing.

"Is that so?" I heard Ikuto ask from behind me. "Excuse me, Miss?" I turned around with confusion and saw Ikuto glancing at one of the workers. "Could you find something nice for this girl to try on, please?" He gestured to me and smirked, his evil crooked smile playing across his face.

I stared in shock for a moment, then started shaking my head as the woman smiled and grabbed my hand. "W-Wait, n-no!" Ikuto just chuckled as the woman pulled me toward the fitting room and grabbed a couple outfits on the way.

I hesitantly tried on the first dress, which was a cream-colored dress covered in the same color lace that went down just above my knees. It had long sleeves that hugged my arms fairly tightly but surprisingly fit pretty well.**(a/n: The link to this dress is on my profile)** I blushed at the thought of trying this nice stuff on but once the woman zipped up the cream dress for me and I glanced in the mirror, I found myself smiling. It felt good to wear fancy things for a change.

"Now we can't go showing off this dress to your boyfriend without shoes, can we?" The woman grinned and I blushed, turning to her and flailing my arms.

"Y-You've got it a-all wrong! W-We're not d-dating..." I bit my lip and looked away, completely embarrassed.

"Isn't this a date, though?" She asked with a knowing smile and was suddenly holding a pair of matching small high-heels that seemed to have magically appeared in her hand.

I continued to blush and shook my head, only to hear the woman laugh softly and help me put the shoes on. Once she finished, she practically pushed me out of the changing room with a grin and led me to where Ikuto waited. I was too embarrassed to see his reaction so I quickly turned my head the other way and blushed dark red. Silence followed, and I found myself growing nervous as I clutched my slightly sweating hands into fists.

Finally, I heard Ikuto's voice speaking to the woman beside me. "We'll take this dress, please."

"Of course. Would you also like the shoes?" The woman asked.

"Yes."

The woman smiled and I whipped my head around to stare at Ikuto in shock. My blush hadn't gone away and as soon as I saw Ikuto's crooked smile, I found myself blushing even deeper. "W-What do you mean, we'll t-take it!?"

"You need to wear something nice to the concert tomorrow, and that dress really suits you."

I could feel heat radiating off my skin and my palms began sweating even more. I couldn't get myself to maintain eye-contact and quickly turned to the woman beside me. "I-I'm going to change b-back now..." I stuttered, walking back into the fitting room almost robotically.

The woman helped me out of the dress and shoes and I quickly changed back into my normal clothes, my hands shaking slightly. Ikuto paid for the dress and the shoes and I frowned at him.

"What?" He asked, chuckling softly.

"We came here to get something for you, and you ended up buying something for me instead..."

"It doesn't matter, I just need your opinion." Ikuto said, grabbing the bag and handing it to me.

"Opinion on what?"

"Should I wear a tie or a bow tie tomorrow?" He asked as he walked into the men's section of the store.

"That's it?" I blinked at him, slightly surprised. When he nodded, I thought for a moment, then replied. "I think a tie would be best."

Ikuto instantly picked out a simple black tie and walked to the cash register again, buying it. I smiled softly and followed him as we exited the store.

**Ikuto's P.O.V.**

"Hey it's a violin!" Amu exclaimed as she pointed to the display violins in the window of the music store we passed. "Will you play a bit for me?" She asked sweetly, turning her gaze to mine.

I didn't want to say no to her, but I turned my head slightly and smirked. "You'll hear me play tomorrow."

"Can you give me a preview?" She asked, interlocking her fingers together and holding her hands up as if she was begging. Even so, she did this with a smile. I blinked at her, my insides feeling warm. Not being able to refuse, I gave in and walked inside the store, a giddy Amu following behind me. I picked up a violin that was to my liking and positioned it under my chin while grinning as Amu stared at me with fascination. I began playing a simple melody from one of the songs I would be playing at the concert, finding myself closing my eyes like I always do as I let the bow glide across the strings. I seemed to forget about being in a music store as I played and I didn't even notice the group of people who had crowded around me to listen. Once I finished, I finally opened my eyes and removed the violin from my chin, glancing at Amu. Her expression was amazing and excited. The crowd clapped as smiles filled the room.

"You're wonderful!" Amu exclaimed, clapping her hands together with a grin.

I found myself smiling softly at her, then put the violin back and bowed my appreciation to the listeners that gathered. As the people slowly filed out of the store, Amu and I did as well.

"You're really amazing, who taught you?" The pinkette asked once we made it out of the music store.

"My dad was a famous violinist, so he taught me."

"Really?" I could tell that Amu was surprised and I just smirked. "Who is he?"

"Tsukiyomi Aruto."

"Oh, I've heard of him!" She said eagerly and I looked at her.

"You have?"

Amu nodded. "My mom really loves classical music, and she has a couple CDs by Tsukiyomi Aruto.. I had no idea you were his son!"

"Yeah, he's my dad." I said and grinned at the girl. We continued walking until I spotted a crepe stand nearby and I glanced at Amu. "Are you hungry?" She nodded and I led her to the stand. Without even having to ask Amu what kind of crepe she wanted, I ordered her a strawberry crepe and a chocolate one for myself. Once we got our orders, Amu seemed surprised that I knew what kind she wanted and I just grinned.

"It's delicious..." She said softly after she took a bite. I nodded in agreement and we kept walking.

The sky was darkening and I thought it might be a good idea to walk Amu home when I heard a boom in the sky. Both Amu and I looked up to see fireworks exploding above the park, a smile growing on Amu's face. I glanced at her, finishing my crepe. "Do you want to watch them for a little while?" The pinkette nodded with eagerness as she also finished her crepe and we made our way to the park.

We both sat down and looked up at the fireworks, awed by their beauty. After a few minutes in, I couldn't help myself from gazing at Amu. I loved the way the explosions above lit up her beautiful face with different colors and sparkled in her honey-colored orbs. Looking at her like that got me to remember the time similar to this when we were at the river. Amu looked at the water, but I kept looking at her. It sounded cheesy, but I couldn't get enough of her cuteness. _The mood the fireworks are setting is very romantic and I just feel like it's an amazing opportunity to..._

"Ikuto..." Amu's face slowly turned to me and I couldn't help but feel slightly embarrassed that she had caught me looking at her. She didn't seem to take any notice to it, but her cheeks did turn a slight rosy color despite the fireworks' reflections. "How come you wanted me to come with you today? I mean, Saaya probably would have been more than willing..."

"I didn't want to come with Saaya." I interrupted her with a serious tone, yet I kept my voice gentle.

"Huh?"

"I have no interest in Saaya." I said a bit more clearly, staring directly into the pinkette's eyes. I softened my expression as I looked at her, my lips curling into the slightest smile. "I have a confession to make. Two, actually." Amu seemed surprised and looked nervous, a blush creeping onto her cheeks again. "The first confession is, I already own a black tie and bow tie. Multiple, actually." I grinned softly and leaned a bit closer. "And Kukai didn't really have plans. Having to go shop for a tie while Kukai was busy was just an excuse to be with you. Don't you think having you come with me just because I wanted your opinion on either a tie or a bow tie was a stupid reason? Couldn't I have just asked you over a text?"

Although it was practically a rhetorical question, Amu still replied. "Y-Yeah, b-but..."

I interrupted her again. "The second confession is," I slowly placed my hand over hers that laid on the grass carelessly and didn't break eye-contact as Amu's face lit up from another cute blush and from a firework above, "I'm in love with you, Amu."

The pinkette's eyes widened with a gasp and I took the opportunity to move my face to hers, capturing her lips with mine as I closed my eyes. My hand found it's way to her warm cheek and I interlocked my other fingers with hers.

The kiss was gentle, yet filled with emotion; just what I intended. I had assumed it was her first kiss, and I didn't want to steal it with a passionate, deep kiss. Her first kiss should be meaningful; something I wouldn't regret taking from her.

Then, as if this where one of my wildest dreams, the girl began to kiss back.

**~Chapter End~**

Kyyyyyaaaaaaa! xDxDxD I was blushing soooo much while writing this, hahahaha! Well there's really not much to say here, so... please review! ^-^ And I hope you all were ready for that fluff. I did warn you, after all. Oh, and I'll post the link to Amu's dress on my profile so go take a look! Personally, I'd love a guy to buy me that dress. :)

~AmuletFortune98


	18. Secret Beginning

**I do not own Shugo Chara or any of the characters.**

**Amu's P.O.V.**

Everything happened so suddenly, I could barely keep up. Before I knew it, Ikuto was confessing his love and pressing his warm lips against mine. My eyes became wider than I ever thought possible as the blue-haired boy in front of me kissed me. The blood rushed to my cheeks immediately and my palms started sweating again, similar to the feeling I got when I was showing Ikuto my dress in the store earlier that day. This feeling, however, was multiplied by 100.

I suddenly became extremely weak, as if I was about to melt into Ikuto. The heat radiating off my skin along with the heat of the summer made my head spin and my heartbeat unsteadily sped up. I silently thanked god that we weren't standing up, or else my knees probably would've given way and I would've toppled to the ground.

Ikuto... he was taking my first kiss. Even so, I didn't mind.

Without realizing and before I could sort out the thoughts spinning in my brain, my eyes instinctively closed and I found my lips mimicking Ikuto's actions. I slowly leaned into the kiss, not sure if I was enjoying it or just feeling too weak to sit up straight.

Then, even if it seemed like it was too early, it was over.

Ikuto slowly pulled his lips away from mine and I practically fell into him from surprise. Two strong hands caught my shoulders quickly and got me to sit up straight again, heat remaining in the areas he touched. My cheek was still tingling where he caressed it, and my hand was throbbing while overheating. Still in complete shock of the event that had just happened, I stared into sapphire eyes.

Ikuto looked almost as shocked as me but as the time progressed while we stared, he started to chuckle softly. "You look pretty tired, I'll take you home. It's getting late, anyway." I struggled to hold myself up as Ikuto let go of me and stood, extending a hand down to me to help me up. I stared at the hand he offered then timidly took it, envious of how cool his skin was compared to mine. His was still comfortingly warm, but not burning hot and embarrassing like my skin.

Ikuto helped me get to my feet with slight difficulty. On the first try, my foot slipped and I fell to the ground again. On the second try, I successfully stood, only to loose my balance again and fall into Ikuto's chest. Once again he caught me with his strong grasp and smirked, causing my face to light on fire. I had seen that smirk millions of times, so why did it make my heart flutter so much now?

_It's because I like him._

I gasped at my own thought. I liked him? Certainly not.

_Why did I kiss him back, then?_

It's because I.. I got dizzy and I wasn't thinking straight. That was it.

_I got dizzy because I like him._

My argument with myself ended when Ikuto chuckled softly again. My gaze shot up toward him, but he was just smiling. Not smirking. Not grinning. Smiling.

"Just admit it, you love me too." He said teasingly, but I knew he really wanted to know the answer.

"W-What!?" My face lit up again. "O-Of course I d-d-don't!" I said frantically, waving my arms in front of my face only to loose my balance again and start falling backward. Before I could topple to the ground, Ikuto grabbed my hand and pulled me to him, his strong arms wrapping around me.

"I've been waiting to kiss you like that for so long." He muttered in my ear as he embraced me, placing on hand on my head and gently brushing my hair with his fingers.

My eyes widened with shock, then I quickly shut them tight. I grasped the front of Ikuto's shirt and buried my face in his chest with embarrassment. "M-Me t-too..." My voice was muffled by the fabric but I could tell Ikuto heard me because he let out a sigh of relief.

"I'm glad." He cooed softly in my ear, his warm breath tingling my neck and making my heart skip a beat. "Now I'll take you home, Amu~koi." The teasing was back in his voice and I blushed madly, pulling away from him and refusing to make eye-contact.

"O-Okay..."

On the way to my house, Ikuto had sneaked his hand over to mine and grabbed it, refusing to let go. I blushed from embarrassment as my hand started to sweat but Ikuto didn't seem to notice. If he did, he didn't act like it. In a way, I was glad he held my hand because if he hadn't, I felt like I would trip over my own too feet and fall onto the gravel below. What happened between Ikuto and I made me really clumsy and dizzy, and I didn't want to loose my balance in front of Ikuto again.

As we came up to the front door of my house, Ikuto let go of my hand and grinned at me. "I'll see you at the concert tomorrow, Amu~koi." I nodded and averted my eyes, still embarrassed. He just chuckled and leaned down, placing a sweet, warm kiss on my forehead. My eyes grew big and I quickly opened the front door, muttering an inaudible farewell and shutting the door behind me.

As I closed the door, I leaned against it and covered my face in my hands so no one would see my blush and idiotic smile.

**Ikuto's P.O.V.**

I looked through the selection of charms for charm bracelets, trying to find the perfect one. I couldn't decide on a heart charm or a violin charm, so I chose both and quickly bought them at the cash register.

I smiled at the paper bag containing the charms I had just bought as I walked down the sidewalk. I had been in a good mood all day, so telling Amu that I was her secret admirer at the concert that night seemed like a good time to do so. I didn't have a chance to tell her the previous night because confessing my love to her was too much of a shock for one day. So at the concert I decided I would tell her, along with giving her the charms I had just bought.

Although the pinkette hadn't directly said it, I knew that she returned my feelings. If not completely, then at least a little bit. But that didn't matter because even if she didn't love me back, I would try my best to win her over. Just knowing that she kissed me back and told me she'd been waiting for me to kiss her too was enough for me. That had worked just as well as a confession on my part.

_Are we dating now?_

It was certainly a good question. I wasn't able to tell, but friends wouldn't kiss the way we did. Even if she wasn't officially my girlfriend, we were definitely more than just friends now.

And that's all that mattered.

Thoughts crowded in my mind about how soft her skin and lips were and how warm to the touch she was. How my heart kept beating against my ribs and how my stomach fluttered when our lips met.

I was so off in my own little world that I didn't even realize the light had changed to green when I began walking across the street. I hadn't noticed the sign that should have been showing an inanimate human figure in a walking motion was no longer flashing, but instead it was a red hand telling pedestrians to wait to cross. But I wasn't thinking about all that. My thoughts were filled with Amu.

Suddenly, hard metal crashed into my ribs on my right side. The last thing I heard was a scream or two and honking cars before everything went black.

**~Chapter End~**

Urrrrg yes I know, I know, it was mean of me to leave you on that cliffhanger! But this story's been so upbeat and happy, there needed to be something to shake it up. I'm soooorry ;_; Anyway, here's a little plot twist to get your mind thinking. What's gonna happen? Please review and tell me what you thought! ^w^

~AmuletFortune98


	19. Secret Worry

**I do not own Shugo Chara or any of the characters.**

**Amu's P.O.V.**

"Of course you can have my cookies, Ami-chan!" I grinned at my little sister, letting out a giggle and a noise I hadn't even thought possible. It was some sort of giddy squeak and the young toddler in front of me seemed to have been freaked out by it. Ami quickly took the bag of cookies from my hand and ran off to her room, smiling.

I never shared my food with my little sister. I knew I was being stubborn, but my snacks were _my _snacks. Today, however, I was feeling generous.

"Amu-chan, could you hand me the TV remote, please?" My mom called to me from the living room and I dashed to the source of the voice.

"Of course, Mom!" I smiled and handed her the devise, my feet unable to keep still. I giggled to my self, doing a little spin on my toes and returning to the kitchen. I bit my lip and blushed softly, grabbing a pen and paper and unconsciously drawing a heart, then shading it. I hummed a happy melody to myself, unaware of my mom's curious gaze.

"You seem to be in a good mood today, Amu-chan!" Mom got up from the couch and walked into the kitchen. "What are you drawing?"

Blushing, I quickly hid the paper and looked up at my mom with an innocent smile. "N-Nothing really." I let out a soft chuckle and folded the paper, tucking it in my pocket.

I felt like running in a big field and spinning around in circles from giddiness. It sounded cliché, but I felt like doing that. Of course, there was a reason to my happiness, and that was because of a certain midnight blue-haired boy.

I couldn't think about his name without smiling idiotically to myself. My mom would be too curious if I started giggling randomly, so I tried to contain myself and not think about what happened the night before in front of her.

"Hey mom, would it be alright if I went out again tonight? A friend of mine is having a violin concert." I looked up at my mom hopefully, who was now doing the dishes.

"A violin concert? That sounds fun! What friend?"

"Uh, um..." I blushed and smiled, turning around so she wouldn't see my flushed face. "I-Ikuto..."

"Oh, Ikuto-kun! Tell him I said hi. And Ami-chan's been dying to see him, so be sure to invite him over again soon!" Mom said, happily scrubbing the glasses with a sponge.

"Ah, y-you can count on that!" I giggled to myself, hoping it was too quiet for my mom to hear, then quickly exited the kitchen and rushed up the stairs to my room.

Sitting on my bed completely alone now, I could let it all out. I kicked my legs happily and started laughing, holding my warm face in my hands with a large smile. I glanced over to the bag in the corner of my room and quickly got up, rushing toward it. I pulled out the pair of cute shoes first, then the pretty dress that Ikuto had bought for me. Standing in front of the mirror, I held it in front of myself, swaying softly to music that played only in my head.

After I spent a good twenty minutes smiling and blushing while thinking about what happened between Ikuto and I, I grabbed my phone out of my pocket and dialed a number.

After several rings, the tiny blonde finally picked up. "Hello?"

"Hi Rima-chan~!" I giggled softly.

"Amu-chan, is that you? You're voice is all different, it's hard to tell."

"Different? What do you mean?"

"It's all high-pitched and girly. You sound like you're in waaaay too good a mood."

"Heh, what if I _am_ in way too good a mood?" I giggled again, laying down on my bed and kicking my legs playfully.

"Oh really? And does this mood happen to be because of a boy? Is it Ikuto-kun?"

I bit my lip and smiled, not responding to her questions. After a moment, I giggled yet again and Rima let out an eager, "I knew it!"

"How'd you know?" I asked, curling onto my side.

"I could tell you guys both liked each other. It was obvious." The girl said in monotone, clearly not as excited as I was.

"I-I n-never liked him b-before yesterday!" I said quickly, although I knew it was a lie. I knew I liked him before that, but I didn't want to admit it to myself.

"Yesterday? What happened yesterday?" Rima questioned eagerly, getting more excited now.

I blushed and smiled to myself, biting my lip nervously. "I-I'll tell you later tonight. I wanted to invite you and Nagi-kun to Ikuto's concert tonight. He plays the violin, you know! Anyway, it's tonight at 5 in the park. You're supposed to wear something nice, or so Ikuto says." Knowing Ikuto, he'd probably tell me to wear nice clothes then when I'd come I'd realize everyone else was in casual clothing. Either way, I wanted to wear what Ikuto bought me no matter what.

"Sounds interesting... Fine, tell me the full story tonight. Every detail! Don't leave anything out, got it?"

I giggled and nodded. "Of course, only if you tell me the full story about when you finally told Nagi-kun you loved him for the first time!"

"W-What!?" Rima gasped. "H-How'd you hear about that?" She questioned, clearly embarrassed.

"From Nagi-kun." I chuckled then sat up. "See you tonight!" I quickly pressed 'End' on the phone before Rima could question any further and giggled to myself.

It was true, I _was_ in way too good a mood.

Smiling idiotically again, I quickly changed into my dress and shoes, then checked the time on my phone. It was a quarter to four, so I still had time to look pretty for once. Feeling the need to curl my hair, I quickly rushed to the bathroom and turned on the curling iron. It had been too long since I last curled my hair; I even ended up burning myself a couple times. Once I finished, I frowned at my curling skills. They lacked...beauty. The curls were dull, only swirling softly at the ends of my hair. Even so, it didn't look _horrible_ so it was good enough for me.

_Would Ikuto like it?_

I smiled again while thinking to myself, finding my legs shuffling nervously. I checked the clock on my phone again. 4:15; still some time.

Deciding I'd wait in the living room, I began walking down the stairs when the phone started ringing. "I'll get it!" I called to my mom who was still in the kitchen then rushed over to the house phone, bringing it to my ear. "Hello?"

"Is this Amu?" A male's voice was on the other line and I felt like I knew who it was, but couldn't put my finger on it.

"Yes, who is this?"

"It's Kukai. I called because... t-there's been an accident." Kukai's voice was shaking slightly as he spoke, and I immediately knew something was wrong.

Panicking, I frantically asked, "What accident? What happened?"

"I-Ikuto was hit by a car. H-He's in the hospital."

I stared at the ground, my eyes wide. My happy mood was gone in an instant as I clutched the phone with both hands. My stomach seemed to flip and I felt as if my knees would give way at any moment. Chills ran over my whole body and tears threatened to spill from my eyes. "W-What did you say...?"

"Ikuto was hit by a c-car... But he's okay, don't worry. I.. I'm trying to call all of Ikuto's friends and tell them the news so-"

I slammed the phone down on the receiver and rushed to the door, unable to listen anymore. I had to get there. I had to get to the hospital to see Ikuto and confirm with my own eyes that he was alright.

**xxx**

The emergency room was crowded. Nurses rushed back and forth in the hallways, trying to help the doctors as quickly as possible. Families grouped together in the waiting room; some had their heads down to pray, others wept quietly in corners, while the rest waited impatiently with nervous twitches. There must have been a lot of accidents on beautiful summer days like today, causing the wonderful weather to seem gloomy and not so beautiful anymore.

A dark cloud formed over my head as I walked through the room full of sorrow. I looked around, trying to hold in my tears until I knew Ikuto was alright. Too impatient to wait in the line in front of the desk, I tapped a nurse lightly on the arm whose nose was buried deep in a clipboard. At my touch, the woman finally looked up from the papers and glanced at me.

"E-Excuse me, ma'am." My voice shook from worry. "D-Do you happen to know where I c-can find Tsukiyomi Ikuto?"

The nurse's gaze went immediately back to the clipboard, her pen running down the paper as if she was looking for something specific on a list. "Tsukiyomi Ikuto," she muttered, then nodded. "He's in room 205 down this hall." She pointed, and I smiled at her, nodding and murmuring a "Thank you" before quickly turning and practically running down the hall. As soon as I was facing away from the nurse's gaze, my smile vanished. I was becoming more and more anxious, wanting to confirm Ikuto's safety.

I finally came to a door with the number "205" on it and I hesitantly placed my hand on the doorknob. Before I could turn it, however, the door swung open and a bawling Saaya came rushing out. She was to busy wiping her tears away to notice me as she bumped into my shoulder and ran off. I stared after her and my heart sank.

_What happened to Ikuto? Please... let him not be hurt._

Unable to wait any longer, I pushed the door open and hurried inside, stopping at the sight of Ikuto laying unconscious in the bed. There was a roll of gauze wrapped around his forehead like a headband with a spot of blood coming through the bandage.

I stared, wide-eyed, at the boy who smirked at me and kissed my lips ever so gently the night before, confessing his love. Tears stung my eyes and I felt a drop or two stream down my cheeks as I walked over to Ikuto. I sat on the edge of the bed slowly, bringing his hand into my lap and holding it close while not taking my eyes off his face. Relief washed over me at the sight of him breathing and the warmth of his hand and I clutched it tightly, bringing it to my lips and kissing it. More tears flowed, but they were tears of thankfulness, glad he hadn't died.

"Is he your boyfriend, miss?" A voice asked from behind me and my head whipped around, surprised by the doctor standing by the door.

A light blush grazed my cheeks and I smiled softly, nodding. I wasn't sure if it was official that we were in a relationship, but it felt nice to call him my boyfriend. It definitely made my heartbeat speed up.

"Well you don't have to worry about his condition. He's in a coma right now but it's pretty likely that he will wake up soon." The man said, taking a few steps toward the bed with a kind smile.

"L-Like.. how soon?" I asked, still genuinely worried. Who wouldn't be?

"I'd say a week or two. He suffered a slight concussion from hitting his head on the ground, but there doesn't seem to be any traces of brain damage." He said, glancing at the boy laying on the bed then scribbling something on his clipboard. "I need to step out now, but you're free to stay until visiting hours end. Tsukiyomi-san will be moved overnight to the regular hospital wing so if you visit him tomorrow, don't come to the emergency room." The doctor smiled at me again and I smiled back softly as he left the room.

I slowly returned my gaze to Ikuto, wiping my tears away. _You made me worry so much..._ I took a deep breath and held Ikuto's hand to my heart, closing my eyes.

"Dummy..."

**~Chapter End~**

You guys thought the worst would happen, didn't you? Hehe, it's fun to see what you all think is going to happen when I leave you with a cliffhanger like I did in the last chapter xD Anyways, tell me how you liked this chapter in the reviews! ^u^ Arigatou~

~AmuletFortune98


	20. Secret Truth

**ThemI do not own Shugo Chara or any of the characters.**

**Amu's P.O.V.**

I stared at Ikuto, holding his hand gently in my lap. I watched the rise and fall of his chest from his steady breathing, the way his lip twitched every so often. I could've sworn that every time I took his hands into my own, his fingers squeezed mine ever so slightly. I knew it was just my imagination, though, longing for him to wake up and smirk at me again. To wake up and tease me, to make me blush, to kiss me.

I missed him. It had only been a week, but I missed him.

Slowly, I lowered myself down and laid next to the blue-haired male on my side so I could face him. Taking his arm, I placed it behind my head and used it as a pillow. As I cuddled up close to him, I felt my heartbeat quicken and my face become flushed. In that moment, I was glad no one else was visiting and we were alone. I let my eyes flutter closed as I rested my head against his arm, seeking warmth in his side.

Before I realized it, I had drifted into a light sleep, only to be woken up by a nurse entering the room and checking on Ikuto. I opened my eyes hesitantly and blushed when I saw the woman, quickly sitting up and causing the distance between Ikuto and I to grow.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." She said sweetly, bowing.

"O-Oh it's fine! I wasn't asleep, anyway..." I said quickly, trying to get her not to misunderstand even when she wasn't. By giving the excuse that I wasn't sleeping, I was the one causing her to misunderstand.

"Ah I see." The nurse said with a smile, then exited the room again. I gave an exasperated sigh and shook my head, then returned my gaze to the comatose boy beside me. Frowning, I took his hand again.

_I wonder..._

I had realized that something changed when Ikuto slipped into a coma. Before he got in the accident, every morning I would receive a little envelope in the mailbox by my secret admirer. Even on Sundays when mail stopped for the day, my secret admirer had somehow managed to place the envelope in the mailbox without anyone seeing him. It was truly amazing how devoted he was to giving me letters.

That, however, was different now. I hadn't received a letter since the day of Ikuto's accident. It was such a strange coincidence that I didn't know what to think of it anymore.

Or maybe it wasn't a coincidence?

I gazed at the comatose boy, biting my lip softly. _Has he been my secret admirer all along? _

Thinking about it now, it all kind of fits together. My secret admirer always acted like he knew me personally in some way, like we had spent time together before. Ikuto and I always spent time together, so that would make sense. Ikuto always caught onto things my secret admirer did, also, like the gifts he gave me. He even guessed that I _had_ a secret admirer! Now it seemed too obvious that my secret admirer was Ikuto all along. _Is it, though? Was it always this obvious?_

I laced my fingers between Ikutos' and warmth came over me. I would never get tired of that. Slowly, I reached my other hand up and gently brushed his bangs out of his face, running my fingers through his soft and strangely not greasy blue locks. The nurses probably washed his hair recently, because it gave off a nice, minty aroma, yet it was a warm smell. It drew me closer, wanting to keep smelling it.

Once his bangs were out of the way, my hand slowly stroked his cheek and then I pulled it away. "You're my secret admirer..." I whispered to Ikuto even though he couldn't hear me.

It was no wonder I felt like I had fallen in love with my secret admirer. I _did_ fall in love with him and his beautiful handwriting and smooth sentences. I fell in love with him without me even realizing and when I started getting closer to Ikuto, I realized just how much I fell in love with my secret admirer. I was hesitant to admit my feelings for Ikuto, too, so I hid them from myself as best as I could. My work failed, however, and I let all my feelings out during the kiss we shared on the night that Ikuto confessed.

Now that I knew Ikuto was my secret admirer, I was even more in love with him. It was almost embarrassing how much I loved him. He had swept me off my feet without my approval and I had fallen for him; madly and deeply. I was nervous, though. I didn't know if his feelings for me were as deep as mine, and that worried me.

It was even worse now that we couldn't communicate. Somehow, each day I spent staring at him in this hospital, I fell more in love with him. But there was no way he could feel the same way because he wasn't conscious. He wasn't falling deeper in love like I was. It was no use.

But that didn't matter. I just wanted Ikuto to wake up and be with me again.

"Ah, so this is where you were." I heard the familiar voice behind me and whipped my head around in surprise.

"O-Oh hello Rima-chan..." I smiled at the short blonde in the doorway, letting go of Ikuto's hand and standing up to face her.

"So you really do come to see him every day?" She asked, stepping inside the room and walking over to me. I nodded, and Rima laughed softly. "You're completely in love!"

My face heated up and I looked away in embarrassment. My gaze made it's way to Ikuto again and I blushed darker red, biting my lip.

Rima just chuckled. "It's okay, Amu-chan! Hey, you never told me that story about what happened the night before the accident... Do you want to go eat something with me and tell me about it?" She asked, clearly still eager to hear the story.

I laughed softly and nodded. "Okay, where should we go to?" I glanced over my shoulder one last time at Ikuto before joining Rima and walking out of the door.

**xxx**

The sound of rain and traffic echoed in my ears as I walked down the sidewalk. I held my umbrella firmly over my head, trying my best not to accidentally tip it to the side resulting in me getting soaked.

In my right hand there was a neatly folded red origami rose. I stared at it with a smile, my eyes glowing with pride. After a bunch practice, it finally came out perfect. When Ikuto woke up, I'd be sure to brag about how much better I got while he was in a coma. Maybe then he could teach me more origami, because the origami rose my secret admirer gave me was wonderfully crafted. He must have skills in paper folding.

As I walked, I tried to avoid puddles of water. When I wasn't looking, I accidentally stepped into a pool of rain water and sighed with frustration. I shook off my wet foot but it was no use; my shoe was completely soaked. Clutching the umbrella with anger, I continued walking in the direction of the hospital.

Even with the pouring rain, the walk felt nice and nostalgic. I kept thinking back to the day Ikuto and I shared an umbrella, and how the boy had purposefully tilted the umbrella toward me so I wouldn't get wet. I giggled softly at the memory of us playing around in the rain, getting each other soaked and chasing one another. It was a precious memory.

When I finally reached the hospital, I closed my umbrella and placed it on the rack near the door. Smiling at the receptionist, she nodded and let me go down the hall to the patients' rooms. The woman had see me visit everyday, so she let me through without having me go to the reception desk first.

Smiling softly, I made my way to Ikuto's room and opened the door.

And then I saw her. _Her._ Sitting on the bed where _I_ sit. Holding Ikuto's hand that _I _hold. I stared, my heart sinking, at the redhead facing the comatose boy. As soon as she heard the door open, she turned her head to face me. She looked practically as surprised as I did, but her face was stained with tears.

"W-What are you doing here?" I asked while trying to sound confident. My nervous stutter ruined it, however.

"I should be asking you that!" Saaya exclaimed, standing up from the bed and clenching her fists together. "Why are you here to see Ikuto!?" She demanded I answer, taking a step toward me.

"I-I always come to see him..." I said softly, taking a step back. I was surprised by how angry she was. Did she think she was the only person allowed to visit Ikuto?

"Why!? Why are you so obsessed with him!?" Tears of anger and sadness trickled down the girls' face and my eyes widened a bit. "Why do you care so much about him!? He doesn't feel the same way about you!"

"Of course he does!" I said, finally gaining a bit of confidence and taking a step toward Saaya. I knew about Saaya's huge crush on Ikuto since the first time I saw her. She was always clinging to him, and it made me feel really uncomfortable and upset. She didn't want to accept the fact that Ikuto loved me and not her. "Ikuto and I feel the same way about each other!"

"Oh don't try to convince yourself!" Saaya said, taking another step toward me. "You know your silly little secret admirer? I know that it's Ikuto who's been giving you letters and romantic gifts. You must like finding out that he was your secret admirer, huh?" Saaya's eyebrows tilted downward. "Well I hope you find it amusing that it was all a joke, too!"

I stared at the raging girl in front of me, my eyes growing wide with confusion and uncertainty. "W-What? What's a j-joke?" I felt my stomach flip and worry wash over me. _What is she talking about...?_

"That's right! Ikuto doesn't actually love you, it was all a game that he and Kukai made up! Ikuto wanted to get you to fall for him so he could mess with your feelings then end up hurting you for their amusement!" Saaya practically yelled in my face and I stared at her in disbelief.

"W-What...?" I suddenly found it extremely hard to move from where I was standing as I looked at the angry girl in front of me. Although her face was fuming, her expression showed no traces of lying. For some reason, I couldn't doubt her words. My gaze slowly rested on Ikuto lying in the hospital bed and I felt a deep pain in my chest. "T-That can't be t-true..." I stuttered, mostly trying to convince myself.

Without me being able to stop her, Saaya went on. "Of course it's true! Did you honestly think a perfect guy like Ikuto would love a stupid girl like you!?" Her words hurt, but I could barely feel them. I didn't want to hear any more.

_It's true... Ikuto seemed like he was completely flawless, whereas all my flaws seemed to shine though. It _is_ confusing. Why _would _Ikuto love someone like me?_

"N-No..." I muttered, unable to tear my gaze from the blue-haired teenager.

"If you don't believe me, ask Kukai. He knows all about it, too!"

Not wanting to hear another word come out of the redhead's mouth, I turned on my heal and ran out of the door and down the hall. I didn't bother to grab my umbrella as I rushed into the pouring rain and down the sidewalk. As soon as I felt the water fall against my face, that's when I began to cry.

My chest hurt and my body felt weak. The sky looked even darker than before, and the rain seemed to be even colder against my skin. I sobbed, seeking shelter from the rain from a nearby tree by leaning against it. It was wet and uncomfortable, which only made me cry even more. I kept thinking about all the sweet things Ikuto had done for me and how he had made me feel when he did them. The way he made me blush so easily by just coming closer. The way he teased me and made my heart skip a beat without my permission. Was it all a joke? A lie?

_It can't be..._

The more I tried to convince myself otherwise, the more I realized I had no argument of persuasion. I didn't want to believe it but the more I sobbed against the tree, the more I had acknowledged Ikuto's betrayal.

With one last shred of hope, I took my phone out and dialed Kukai's number, needing to be certain.

_Please let it not be true. Please._

**~Chapter End~**

Wow, a lot of people sure think there's gonna be amnesia in this story. I've already written a story about that! If you want to check it out it's called Please Remember. It was my first story on fanfiction so my writing style was a lot different, haha xD Anyway, what did you guys think of this chapter? Review and tell me what you thought!

~AmuletFortune98


	21. Secret Confusion

**I do not own Shugo Chara or any of the characters.**

**Amu's P.O.V.**

I counted four rings before Kukai picked up the phone and answered with a groggy, "Hello?"

I didn't bother wipe my tears away or try to control my sobs. Instead I managed to talk when my voice let me, quivering from sadness. "K-Ku-Kukai-kun..." I practically coughed out. "I-Is it t-true?"

"Wha?" He sounded as if he had just woken up. The tone of his voice was tired, somewhat scratchy. I heard him yawn then let out a soft groan like he had just stood up or something. Kukai _did_ seem like the kind of person to sleep in late on summer days.

"I-I'm going to a-ask you something, and y-y-you can't l-lie to me." I a quiet whimper escaped my lips and by that point, I knew Kukai could tell I was crying.

"Ask me something? Amu, are you crying?" He seemed more confused than concerned, as if he had no idea what was going on.

"J-Just promise y-you won't lie!" I said with a bit more force than I intended. Another tear dropped down my cheek without permission and I shut my eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, I won't lie. What's the question?"

I took a deep breath, trying to gather myself before opening my eyes again. "W-Was it all fake?"

The other line was silent until I heard a long "Mmmmm..." I waited for him to answer, my patience growing shorter and shorter. More tears fell as I clenched and unclenched my jaw and I started to doubt all the hope I had just minutes before. Finally, Kukai spoke; "Amu...Just what exactly are you talking about?"

I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding. Sighing, I slowly slid with my back against the tree to the ground. The mud and water seeping through my clothes, however, were the least of my worries. "K-Kukai-kun... Was the s-secret admirer thing a-all just a f-fake? D-Did Ikuto really just do it f-for his amusement?" I let out another whimper as I cried again. "D-Did he really not h-have feelings for m-me at all!?" I somewhat yelled out between sobs, all my patience gone as I waited for an answer again.

"...A-Ah.. that..." There was another long pause, and I couldn't bare it anymore. "Well..." I could tell by then that it was true. The way Kukai was so hesitant to answer told me everything I needed to know. I couldn't hold it in any longer; I started to sob again and quickly hung up the phone, jamming it it my purse.

That was the last day I visited Ikuto in the hospital.

**Ikuto's P.O.V.**

Today was the day they let me out of the hospital. I woke up from my coma yesterday and the doctors had to run some tests before I could be let out. The injury to my head wasn't bad at all and there was no brain damage. I didn't have to have the gauze wrapped around my head anymore, but there was a visible mark on the left side of my forehead. The blood had all been cleaned off already but it was obvious that it was going to leave a scar when it healed completely. Even so, I was lucky to have gone through that situation without much damage.

Two weeks had gone by while I was in a coma, and it definitely felt strange to know that two weeks of my life were wasted in a hospital bed unconscious. School had started up again, but the teachers were already notified about my condition and I didn't have to go until I felt well enough.

I scrolled through the contacts on my phone, wondering if anyone knew I was awake and out of the hospital. Visitors weren't allowed to see me today or yesterday because of the tests that the doctors were running, but surely if anyone planned on visiting they were told that I had woken up?

I stopped scrolling when I got to the one girl I felt like it had been ages since I last saw and kissed. Of course even though I didn't even notice two weeks go by in my coma, it still felt like too long since I had last seen my pinkette.

It felt good to call her _my _pinkette.

I clicked on Amu's name and began typing a message but quickly deleted it when I got an idea.

I wanted to surprise her.

**xxx**

If there was one thing I was good at, it was sneaking up on somebody. My cat-like instincts made it easy for me to slunk around quietly without being noticed. This I believed to be one of my best traits.

Slowly, I sneaked up behind my little pinkette. She was sitting under a tree, shaded by the harsh rays of sun while opening her lunch box. Oddly enough, she was alone.

Whenever I saw Amu sitting and eating lunch before, she was with that Mashiro girl. _Why isn't she now? _I glanced around the area and noticed the short blonde sitting with that purple-haired boy. Maybe Amu didn't want to disturb them or something. Nonetheless, it was easier to sneak up on her this way.

Step by step, I neared the pinkette. Oblivious, as always, Amu took a dumpling from her lunch and popped it in her mouth. I grinned and maneuvered my way to her, finally becoming close enough to touch. I quickly placed my hands over her eyes from behind and leaned toward her ear, muttering in a deep, loving voice, "Guess who..."

Amu shivered and gasped with surprise, almost tossing her lunch into the air. She quickly set the box down and brought her hands up to mine. Her hands were shaking, and I had assumed that it was because she was so excited by my recovery. That theory, however, was crushed when I noticed my hands becoming wet from the girl's tears.

**Amu's P.O.V.**

_I-Ikuto... please don't let it be Ikuto! Oh who am I kidding? Of course it's Ikuto! I really want to see him, but I can't! I don't want go back to my sobbing self at the topic of him..._ Before I could stop myself, tears escaped from my eyes. I silently cursed myself for letting myself cry and quickly brushed away the hands covering my vision. I instantly turned to find the bluenette crouching over me, his face full of concern instead of his usual smirk which I acted like I didn't like, but actually loved. And as soon as I saw his face, my heart broke for the second time.

Without thinking about what I was doing, I launched myself into his arms and buried my damp face into his shirt. I breathed in his cologne that I missed smelling and wrapped my small arms around his toned torso. I had missed him way too much, even more so now that I knew the truth.

The truth about Ikuto lying to me.

Realization finally coming back to me, I immediately pulled away from him and stood up, taking a few steps back. All of this happened in the blink of an eye, so Ikuto looked quite confused. Just looking at his face made me begin to sob.

"Amu, what's wrong? Are you okay?" Ikuto said with a tone of concern. He quickly stood and stepped toward me but I backed away again. Ikuto stopped walking and stared at me, still utterly confused and worried. He took another step forward, "Amu-" he began again but I interrupted.

"S-Stop!" Ikuto stopped in his tracks and his arms froze while trying to reach out and comfort me. But I didn't want it. I didn't want him to try and comfort me because I knew it would only break my heart even more. "J-Just stop..." I stuttered while trying desperately to wipe away my tears. "D-D..Don't come n-near me!" I yelled and stomped as if I was a toddler having a temper tantrum. But it wasn't my temper that was getting to me, it was the cause of Ikuto's betrayal.

"Amu-" Yet again, I interrupted him.

"D-Don't!" I waved my hands in front of me, refusing to look the boy in the eye. I kept my gaze fixated on the ground, my messy pink hair falling in front of my face and my vision blurred from tears.

I didn't want to do anything I was doing. I didn't want to yell at Ikuto. I didn't want to cry in front of him. I didn't want to push Ikuto away and make him think that he did something wrong, even when he did do something wrong. But I did anyway. I couldn't explain the pain in my chest that was clawing at my insides, slowly developing into a burning fire. I couldn't explain the lump in my throat growing bigger each time I tried to speak. I couldn't explain how cold I was, knowing Ikuto could embrace me in his warm arms but myself not letting him do so. It was a horrible feeling to be around the boy, but why did I feel so relieved that he had awoken from his coma? Too confused to sort out my thoughts in front of Ikuto, I turned around and tried to escape by running off, but something stopped me.

It was him. He was holding me from behind, begging me physically not to go. Telling me without words that I wasn't going anywhere until I explained what was wrong and why I was acting so strangely. I squirmed in his firm grasp but it was no use. Ikuto was much stronger than me and we both knew that too well.

Not wanting it to have to resort to this, I turned my head to face him halfway. I still didn't make eye-contact, but I made sure my tear-stained face was visible for him to see. "Ikuto..." I muttered as desperately as possible. Finally, I turned my gaze to reach his and I noticed how confused and heartbroken he looked, but for some reason that didn't stop me from what I was about to say. "P-Please, let me go."

Maybe it was how straightforward and desperate I sounded, but Ikuto slowly loosened his grip on me. It didn't seem like it was his choice, however, but instead it seemed like he would have let me go whether he liked it or not. I could tell this because of the expression he had on. It was some mixture of hurt and shock, along with a bit sadness and confusion still.

I was able to slowly squirm out of his loosened grip and glanced at him one last time before running off. More tears fell until I couldn't believe I still had more liquid in my body as I ran out of the school campus. I didn't want to think about this anymore, but returning to school after lunch wasn't going to help the situation, either. I had a couple classes with Ikuto after the lunch ended, and I didn't want to end up bursting into tears right in the middle of class.

As I made my way home, my fast pace slowly turned into a walk, and then almost as if I was dragging myself home. But I told myself that I would be able to lay down and cry in my bed once I got home, so I kept going and didn't let myself sink to the ground.

When I finally got to my house, I noticed something before I went inside. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something white sticking out of the mailbox. Curiosity got to me and I walked over to the mailbox, opening it. As I took out the envelope and looked at what it was, my stomach flipped and I felt a wave of emotions I couldn't even describe.

I slowly let my fingers glide across the neat, slanted handwriting that I hadn't seen in two weeks as I cried. Hesitatingly, I slipped my finger into the flap and ripped it open, taking out the contents. As I began to read, I knew I was going to regret running away from Ikuto earlier.

_Prettiest Amu,_

_I'd like to apologize for the two weeks gap of admiration letters towards you. By now, you've probably figured out who I am unless you really are that oblivious girl I've known you to be. I suppose there really isn't a reason to keep it a secret now since you've most likely already figured it out. Anyway, I'd like to tell you how much I love you in this letter. I love your honey-golden eyes, your perfect smile, your contagious laugh, your beautiful pink hair, and the way you brightened up my life since the moment you entered it. It probably sounds very cheesy, but it's actually very meaningful to me. I am extremely proud to be able to call you **mine**._

_Love, your secret admirer._

_(a.k.a. Tsukiyomi Ikuto)_

And then I was sure; I wasn't going to make it to my bed.

**~Chapter End~**

Sorry this update took a while, guys -.- And yes, more emotions in this chapter... ;_; I just wanna tell you guys that even though this story is kinda climax-y right now, it may be longer than this if I decide on continuing the story after this with this idea I got recently. Anyway... comments on this chapter? Put it in the reviews ^u^ Thanks!

~AmuletFortune98


	22. Secret Pouting

**I do not own Shugo Chara or any of the characters!**

**Ikuto's P.O.V.**

I dipped my head down, covering it with my arms under the shade of the tree. Amu's half-eaten lunch still lay beside me as I sat. Too many confused thoughts were rushing through my head and it was difficult for me to deduct the reason as to why Amu had gotten so upset.

I recalled back to the moment Amu turned to me and told me to let her go. Her voice was so full of desperation and sadness that I didn't know what to do. All I wanted was to run after her and hug her. I wanted to listen to her and understand what had made her so upset. I wanted to figure out if she was upset with _me_ and what possible reason that she might be.

Overall, I really just didn't want her to _go._

It was the first time I'd seen her in two weeks, and even though I hadn't noticed that time go by, it still felt like too long for me. Was I too eager to make her mine that she got grossed out and was repulsed by me?

_No, that's not right._ There had to be a different reason. After all, Amu _had_ hugged me when she first saw me. Even if it was for a split second, I was sure that she was happy to see me. But then why...did she pull away?

"Ikuto?"

I lifted my head and saw Kukai standing above me. He seemed worried, like he realized something was wrong and somehow already knew what it was. "What is it?" I answered with a hint of annoyance, feeling the sudden want to be alone. Even if I hadn't seen any of my friends in the past two weeks, I sure wasn't in the mood to see anyone besides Amu right now.

"Ikuto, are you okay? What happened?" Despite the brunette's questions, I had the strangest feeling that he had a clue as to what was going on already. His questions were merely a sort of reassurance.

"It doesn't matter." I said with a bit of anger, standing up and turning to begin walking away.

"It's about Amu, isn't it?"

I stopped walking and paused, then slowly turned my head back to him. "Do you know something...about this?" I asked cautiously, wanting to pick my words carefully.

Kukai averted his gaze from mine and instead fixated it on the grass below. "W-Well, you see..."

I turned to face the boy and began stepping forward. Before Kukai even noticed I was coming closer, I grabbed the collar of his uniform shirt and tugged it up, causing him to stare directly into my angered and impatient face. "You did something stupid, didn't you?" I asked through gritted teeth.

"So you really have fallen in love with her... I knew it.. I guess I can understand that now since I've got Utau and-"

"Don't change the subject." I growled, tugging on his shirt more.

Kukai stared at me with slight fear and nervousness in his gaze. I knew he had done something, and I didn't like how long he had me waiting to find out what it was. "Y-You see... Apparently Saaya slipped up and told Amu you were her fake secret admirer and that you never had any feelings for her in the first place and when she called me to confirm this, she kinda hung up before I could give her any straight answer..." He said in a rushed tone, as if he was trying to get it over with.

As his words sunk in, pure anger seeped from my skin. I felt my face burn and my eyebrows tilt further downward while my other hand was clenched tightly into a fist. I held onto Kukai by the shirt firmly and I felt as if I was almost shaking with anger. "Kukai...!" I drew out his name with a deep tone, my voice sounding as if it was being dragged across gravel.

"L-Look, I'm really sorry! I-I was gonna tell her that I didn't know how you felt but she hung up too quickly! I'm really so-"

I interrupted Kukai by kneeing him as hard as I could in his crotch. He chocked from the instant stab of pain and fell to the ground immediately, clutching his sensitive area. He wheezed with pain and let a tear or two fall as he scrunched up his face and curled into a ball on the grass.

Staring at him with hatred, I couldn't help a soft hiss escape my mouth. I couldn't believe that Amu had found out about that stupid intention, which wasn't even accurate anymore! _That damn Saaya.. I swear I'll never speak to her again! That should get the message through to her well enough._

Letting out a sigh in attempt to calm myself down, I turned on my heel and marched out of the campus.

**Amu's P.O.V.**

"Come on, Amu. Just you, me, and a bottle of sake to ease your pain a bit. I'll listen to anything you want to get off your chest!"

I sighed, smiling halfheartedly while I held the phone to my ear. "Thanks Rima-chan, but I kinda don't wanna talk about... him.. right now."

"I understand! Then we'll just have fun and talk about other things!" Rima suggested with a reassuring yet playful tone. I couldn't help but feel guilty that she was feeling sorry for me, but I was happy that she wanted to make me feel better. Because of that, I couldn't decline her offer to hang out at her house. Plus, my parents had to work and Ami was sleeping over at a friends tonight, so I would've been home alone anyway.

"Alright, fine. I'll head over to your house in twenty minutes, does that sound good?" I asked, rolling out of bed reluctantly to start getting ready.

"Okay see you soon!"

I closed my phone and put it in my purse then walked over to my mirror to check my appearance. My face was a little puffy from crying and my eyes had turned a light pink color. Sighing, I headed to the bathroom to get some eye drops and attempt to recover my anterior-to-crying facial features. About twenty minutes later, I grabbed my purse and headed out the door to Rima's house.

**xxx**

"A-Amu-chan... I thought you said you didn't want to talk about Ikuto?" Rima said timidly as she watched me reach for the bottle of sake for the third time.

"But that stupid jerk keeps popping up in my mind!" I insisted, gulping more of the drink. It wasn't illegal for teenagers to drink sake in Japan, but they were usually given a watered down version. Rima had only drank a bit, but I felt the need to keep pouring myself another glass.

"Yeah, that happens when your heart breaks..." Rima said and I couldn't help but glance at her with drunken annoyance. I wasn't angry at her, but the whole situation got me really irritated. I thought that this was unusual because usually I would get really emotional and start crying when it came to the subject. Soon, however, I realized that it was the sake putting me through mood swings because then I did indeed begin to cry.

"Don't cry, I'm sure it was all just a big misunderstanding.." Rima muttered reassuringly as she patted my back softly.

"W-Why would h-he lie to m-me?" I questioned no one in particular while pouring myself another glass of sake.

"Uh.. don't you think you've had enough to drink, Amu-chan?" Rima laughed nervously, attempting to push the bottle somewhere out of my reach. I quickly grabbed it and pulled it closer, eying the blond.

"B-But it comforts me..." I pouted and Rima sighed, letting go of the sake.

After I finished drinking the sake I had just poured for myself, I began to feel really exhausted. My eyes felt droopy and my sentences were no longer forming correctly, causing them to be unintelligible.

"A-Amu-chan, are you feeling alright?" Rima asked with concern, leaning toward me.

"F... I.. I'm feeling.. I'm fine..."

And that was the last _clear_ memory of the night.

**Ikuto's P.O.V.**

I sat on the ground and slowly lifted my head to the shining stars above the park. I tugged on the grass, trying to let all my frustration, anger, and sadness out on innocent nature. Waves of memories flooded my mind about the night Amu and I sat in this very spot together. The night Amu and I kissed for the first time in this very spot together. Pain racked at my chest, and I couldn't bear knowing it was all a misunderstanding, yet Amu was too hurt to realize the truth.

It had been three days since the day I came to school to surprise her and ever since then, she hasn't picked up my calls, answered my texts, or acknowledged me in class. Whenever I tried to talk to her she'd brush me off and run over to some random kid I didn't know she was even friends with. She was probably just talking to to said random person as an excuse to get away from me, though.

But because the stubborn pinkette went out of her way to ignore me as best she could, I missed her. I missed her way too much. I couldn't even describe how much I missed her. _Does she miss me?_ If she did, it never showed.

Wanting to take my frustration out on something, I grabbed a nearby rock and threw it as hard as I could across the park. As the tiny object disappeared in the darkess, I let out a sigh. Just then, I heard my phone ring and I took my phone out of my pocket.

_Amu~koi_

My eyes widened as I stared in shock at the collar ID. Before I could even completely register what was happening, I picked up the phone a little too eagerly, "Amu!?"

"S-Sorry...this is Mashiro Rima, Amu-chan's friend."

My heart sank and I let out a sigh. I knew she wouldn't call me anyway. "What do you want?"

"Well... You see, I invited Amu-chan over to my house and she kinda had a little too much sake. She fell asleep on my table I'm pretty sure she's drunk. I was wondering if you'd help me get her home safely...?"

I stood up and began walking out of the park. "Where's your house?" _What a careless girl..._

**xxx**

As I walked along the sidewalk, I tried to adjust the girl resting on my back. Due to the fact that she was completely knocked out, it was difficult to support her; she kept slipping down and didn't hold onto me at all. Not to mention the fact that I also had sling her girly purse over my shoulder. At least that wasn't too heavy. It wasn't like Amu was heavy either-not at all-but having in a stable position was challenging. Breathing a sigh, I kept walking in silence.

"Ikuto... you jerk..." I barely caught the mumbled words from Amu's mouth and I turned my head to look at her. Her eyes were still closed, but her eyebrows were furrowed together.

"Huh?"

"Why'd you have to go and do all that just to play with a girl's feelings...? So cruel..." Amu said and I could clearly smell the alcohol on her breath. She squirmed and I held her firmly. Noticing that she wasn't able to escape from the piggy-back ride, she let out an annoyed yet cute noise of frustration. At this, I couldn't help but chuckle softly.

"Dummy..."

"You're one to talk!" Amu's voice didn't sound how it usually did; instead, it sounded like she was in a drunken state. It almost sounded cute. Sadly, what she was talking about made me feel guilty again. "You can't play with girls' feelings like that..."

"I know... I was wrong to think I could in the first place, but that's different now." I said as we reached her house. "After I got to know you, I really did fall in love with you. It wasn't fake." I opened the door, which wasn't locked, and entered the pinkette's empty house. _Amu always forgets to lock things.. Just like her locker at school. _

"Idiot, idiot, idiot!" Amu lightly but firmly smacked my head three times and I sighed again. She probably wasn't in the best state of mind to be talking about such serious matters, but this was the first chance I was able to talk to her alone.

I walked up the stairs and went into her room, the girl still supported on my back. I gently let her down on the bed and she huffed, then stared up at me with the same furrowed brow. "Don't think I'll forgive you so easily, dummy... I really fell for you... And then you went and got in an accident, idiot! You got me all worried and everything, and I missed you so much..."

I set Amu's purse down on the floor as I sat on the edge of the bed and reached over to her, gently brushing her bangs out of her eyes. I smiled softly, happy to be so close to the girl after more than two weeks separation. "I know..."

"Idiot..." She muttered and pouted angerly but cutely.

I blinked and moved my hand down on the other side of her. Slowly I leaned down and kissed Amu's forehead softly. "I'll probably have to explain this all to you again anyway, so I'll let you get some sleep for now." I mumbled gently as I looked down at her. "I'll visit you in the morning since it's a weekend and explain everything." I brushed my hand against her soft cheek and smiled as she closed her eyes. "I love you."

**~Chapter End~**

Aww poor Ikuto.. I don't know about you guys but I felt as if I really sympathized with him in this chapter... Haha x3 What did you guys think of this chapter? Well, it's kinda 4 in the morning right now so I better get some sleep. Thanks everyone and I'll try to update again before school starts for me this Wednesday! (uugh... school... -_-)

~AmuletFortune98


	23. Secret Hangover

**I do not own Shugo Chara or any of the characters.**

**Amu's P.O.V.**

A jabbing pain in my head roused me from my deep slumber. I made a face and sat up as I rubbed my forehead, my eyes still closed."A-Ah... my head..." I muttered to myself and let out a sigh.

"That's what you get for drinking so much, you idiot." The teasing tone coming from beside me caused me to fling my eyes open in shock. I turned my head to become face to face with the one and only Ikuto, who just happened to have his signature smirk playing across his face. Instantly, my heart practically jumped out of my throat and a wave of both sadness and happiness washed over me.

"I-Ik-kuto!? W-Who let y-you in my room!?" I sputtered nervously, trying to back away from him on the bed which he sat on the edge of.

"Your mom, of course." Ikuto flashed a grin. "Good thing your dad wasn't around, or else he probably wouldn't have allowed me inside the house at all. You know, he really doesn't like me, it seems. I wonder why?" He chuckled softly and I clenched my teeth together. Just as I opened my mouth to say something back to the bluenette, another jab of pain hit me in the forehead and I whimpered softly. I brought my hand up to my head again and rubbed it, closing my eyes tightly.

"A-Ah..."

"Are you alright?" I opened my eyes to see Ikuto leaning toward me, extending a hand to my face with a concerned expression. Panicking, I quickly smacked his hand away and looked in the other direction.

There was a long pause and uncomfortable silence filled the room. _I-I don't think I can take this much longer..._ I glanced over at Ikuto for a split second to see him turned away as well, a regretful look on his face. I instantly felt guilty, but I didn't know what to say.

Suddenly, memories of the previous night rushed into my mind. They were a bit fuzzy, but I could still recall what had happened. I bit my lip and frowned, remembering that Ikuto said he was going to come over this morning and explain everything. As I recalled other memories from before him saying that, I furrowed my brow in embarrassment and anger. _How could I have possibly acted that way in front of Ikuto!? Why'd I go spewing all this stuff I never intended on telling him? I don't want him to know how much I worried about him and how much I missed him because it'll just result in me giving into his intention of messing with my feelings. _

That's it. If he planned on giving me some form of answers today, I was waiting for it. If he really did come to explain everything to me, why wasn't he?

Just then, I finally remembered the hushed tone I barely caught before falling asleep last night. _"I love you."_ My face turned a dark pink and bit my lip. Even if it was a lie, it still felt so real when he said it. I quickly looked over at Ikuto nervously to make sure he wasn't looking at me. As I did so, Ikuto finally began to speak.

"Amu, I have to expla-"

"I-I-I'll go make some tea!" I stuttered, my face completely flushed. I moved toward the edge of the bed and stood up quickly, only to feel a pounding pain in my head which caused me to gasp and loose my footing. I let out a little yelp of surprise as I fell forward but gasped again when I realized how much softer the floor was that I thought it would be. Looking downward, I gasped for the third time when I found myself laying on top of an in-pain-looking Ikuto. I blushed at thought of him rushing to break my fall and at the thought of myself laying on top of him and averted my gaze. Embarrassed, I quickly tried to sit up but my head wouldn't stop pounding, making me fall on top of him again.

"Ah... What are you, an idiot?" Ikuto rubbed his head with annoyance and looked at me: the girl who wasn't able to get off of him. "Of course you'd get a head rush trying to get up so quickly, especially with that damn hangover of yours!"

I bit my lip and looked away, rubbing my head. _Now he's angry..._

As if he read my mind, Ikuto's expression softened and he sat up slowly, getting me to sit up as well. "I'm not angry, I'm just worried." I felt a warm hand brush against my cheek and my face lit up as I hesitantly glanced at the boy sitting in front of me. I turned an even darker shade of red when I realized how close he was to me. "If you're sick, I'll take care of you." Ikuto grinned softly.

My heartbeat sped up, and I felt warmth all throughout my body. I bit my lip slightly and gazed into his eyes, emotion racking at my chest. I felt like hugging him and kissing him and keeping him safe from any accidents, but I was completely frozen. I hadn't even noticed the tears burning my eyes until one rolled down my cheek. Ikuto frowned at the sight and gently wiped it away with his thumb.

"Don't cry... I'll explain...why Saaya told you all that." He breathed a sigh. "But before I do, I just want you to know that no matter how much I want to change the way I used to be, I can't rewrite the past." I blinked with confusion as I stared at Ikuto, unsure of what he was talking about.

"Before you and I ever acknowledged each other," Ikuto began, "Kukai and I were heartless boys who didn't care about girls' feelings. We thought it was a game, trying to make girls fall in love with us..." Sadness washed over me but I was careful not to miss the regretful expression on Ikuto's face. "Maybe it was because you always got the questions Sensei asked you in class wrong, or maybe it was your pink hair, but for some reason you caught my eye and I started to notice you more and more. When I started to pay attention to you, I had this weird urge in the back of my mind to write you love letters. Of course me being my heartless self I used to be, I assumed if I wrote these letters to you then they would be considered fake, as if you were just another girl I got to fall for me. When I told Kukai about this, he was completely on board with this scenario, so I began to stick love letters in your locker each day."

"But then, by complete coincidence, you approached me the day after I became your secret admirer and asked me to become your tutor. At first I had agreed because I thought I'd be able to find out more stuff about you to put in the letters. Slowly, however, as we got to know each other, something inside me changed." He paused and gently brushed some hair out of my face. "Each time I heard Kukai calling the love letters 'fake' like I intended them to be, I got really angry. I don't exactly know when this happened, but I began to accept the fact that I'd grown closer to you and realized what a sweet, innocent person you were. And suddenly, I found myself actually falling in love with you."

My eyes widened and I stared at Ikuto with disbelief. _This story... it isn't a lie. I can tell... S-So he.. he actually _does_ loves me?_ I felt more tears sting my eyes, but they were tears of happiness. Before I could say anything, Ikuto went on.

"But before I realized that I loved you, Kukai had slipped my secret about the letters to that idiot Saaya. I told her to keep her stupid lips shut, but apparently that was too hard for her. But as time went by, the tutoring sessions were great excuses to be with you. And when I finally felt like the time was right, I confessed to you." Ikuto looked directly at me. "That confession was one hundred percent real for me. There wasn't a doubt in my mind when I told you my feelings. I felt like I was on cloud nine when you accepted my kiss and even kissed back. After that night, I truly felt like we were finally dating, which made me incredibly happy." Another pause. "But because I was so caught up in my memories of that night, I was careless and I didn't pay attention while crossing an intersection. Because of myself falling into a coma, Saaya apparently had the perfect opportunity to tell you that I was your fake secret admirer so then she could have me all to herself. But I'm explaining to you right now that I did and _do_, indeed love you, Amu, and I want you to stay by my side forever. I know it was my fault from the beginning and I'm incredibly sorry about that, but I can't change the way I was, no matter how much I wish I could! I love you, Amu. Right now, all I can hope for is for you to believe me and forgive me."

I was speechless.

I stared at Ikuto in complete awe. As he had spoken, emotions struck me over and over. His expression looked firm, but also had hints of guilt, regret, and even desperateness. I slowly lifted my hand and placed it on top of his, which rested on my cheek. I closed my eyes as tears ran down my cheeks, my mouth forming a soft smile. "I-Ikuto I..." I held onto his hand with both of my own. "I-I forgive you..."

Ikuto's expression changed immediately. He flashed a rare large smile which even showed teeth and pulled me into his arms. He held me in a tight, warm embrace and I felt a couple more tears drip down my face. I smiled into his shoulder and found myself saying, "I-I love you," before I even realized what I was doing. Once Ikuto heard this, he pulled back from me and stared a for a split second before leaning in and pressing his lips against mine. It felt as if every emotion he had in his heart was poured into that kiss, it was so real and amazing, and I returned the kiss with all my love for him buried in my heart.

_I'll stay by your side forever, Ikuto._

**~Chapter End~**

Awwe :3 so cutee~ xD But it's not over yet! ^^ I've still got an idea for this story so don't worry, this isn't the end! Even though it would be a cute way to end it in my opinion...But I'll keep writing more chapters :) Uuuuggghh school started today for me. Just, no. Well anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this lovely love-filled chapter of love. Hehe x3

~AmuletFortune98


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